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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 dtre filmds A des taux de reduction diffirents. Lorsque le document est trop grand pour dtre reproduit en un seul cliche, il est film6 d partir de Tangle supdrieur gauche, de gauche A droite, et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre d'images ndcessaire. Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la mdthode. 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 CEM r-.u CENTENNIAL OF CANADIAN METHODISM sf JOHN WESLEY. Born January 17th, 1703. Died March''2nd, 1791. "The best o( all is, God is with us." CENTENNIAL OF Canadian Methodism iWi PUBLISHED BY DIRECTION OF THE GENERAL CONFERENCE. TORONTO : WILLIAM BRIOGS, WESLEY BUILDINGS. Montkeal: C. W. COATES. Hamkax : S. F. HUESTIS. 1891. H I r ■■ i ' I ; 1 »■ uK 'if J. SI 20bJ It Entered according to the Act of the Parliament of Canada, in the year one thousand eight hundred and ninety-one, by William Briggs, in the office of the Minister of Agriculture, at Ottawa. i in the yeai M Briggs, ill 'I. i < I I' # '^ SUSANNA WESLEY, "THE MOTUER OF METHODISM.' '\ ! PRBK AC E TN this book representatives of the different branches of which the united Methodist Church in this country is now com- posed, give from their respective points of view u brief record of the historical development of Methodism in this Laid. No con- trol is sou<(ht to be exercised over the expression of individual opinion. It is possible that in the treatment of wh.'it were at the time strongl^'^ disputed topics, there may be expressed some variety of judgment ; but as these are now dead issues, with respect to which we can agree to differ, it is thought best to leave untouched such expressions. It is a happy thought that at the close of the first century of Methodism in ( *anada all these causes of dispute and of difference between brethren are now laid aside, and tliat we can calmly survey what was once a hotly disputed field. At no previous period in the histoiy of Methodism in this land could this have been possible, and in no other land beneath the sun is it possible yet. The different phases of church life and church work — mission- ary, educational, literary, statistical and the like — are treated by persons having special facilities for treating the same. It was felt by the General Conference, which authorized the publication of this book, that it would have been a misfortune to allow this opportunity to pass without summing up the progress of the century. With devout hearts we may well exclaim, "What hath God wrought ! " If with limited means and divided efforts in this sparsely settled country so much has been accomplished in the past, what may we not expect as the result of the larger endow- ment and greater number and more favourable opportunities of the future I orommittcc on |3ublication. Rev. K. h. Devvart, D.D., Rev. John Lathern, D.D., Rev. William Brig(.s, D.D., Rev. S. F. Huestis, Rev. a. H. Revnar, D.D., Rev. E. I. Badglev', D.D.. Rev. J. C. Antliff, D.D., Rev. Hugh Johnston, D.D., Rev. George VVEnnER. Rev. W. H. WriHRovv, D.D., Secretary. 'I I \ ^i t, ' } i ki WEULE MBMOBIAL, WESTMINSTER ABBBY. CONTENTS m i>(| PAOB. The Providential Rise of the Wesley an Revival. Iiti\ Gemye Doiiiflas, D.l),, LL.D. 9 Historical Sketch of Methodism in the Eastern Provinces. . . ./• Jiev. John Lathcrn, D.JJ. 27 Historical Sket<'h of the Wesleyan Methodist Church IN Upper and Lower Canada. Rev. Hiiifh Johnston, M. A., I). D, 55 Hlstork'al Sketch of the Methodist New Connexion Church in Canada . . . .Bev. William IViUianifiy D.l). 95 The Methodist Church of Canada, 187.*J-1883. A'.r. E. H. Ihwarf, />./>. 127 Historical Sketch of the Methodist Episcopal Church in Canada Rev. S. G. ,Stone, D.D. 149 Historical Sketch of the Primitive Methodist Chur<.!h in Canada Rev. J. Cooper Antliff, D.D. 181 The Bible Christian Church Rev.Gewge Webber 205 The Methodist Church Rev. Albert Carman, D.D. 229 The Methodist Church in Relation to Missions. Rev. Alexander Sutherland, D.D. 253 Methodist Literature and Methodist Sunday-schools. Rev. W. H. Withroio, D.D., F.R.S.C. 273 Methodist Education in Canada. Rev. Nathaniel Ihmmnh, S. T. D. 297 Statistical Record of the Phooresh of Methodism in Canada during the First One Hundred Years of its History Rev. George H. Cornish, LL l>. 331 T of th all e^ ward manl neces the ii inspii in th aposti cate Gnost Invhosc drous persor the he Ear demar devout times THE PROVIDENTIAL RISE OF THE WESLEYAN REVIVAL. iii By the Rev. George Douglas, D.D., LL.D., Principal of the Wcsleyan Thcoloyical College, Montreal. THE history of the Church in its evolution through the ages is a perpetu?^ attestation to the immensity of the divine resources, not only in ordaining and rendering all events subservient to its interests, but in bringing for- ward at the appointed time those types of mental and moral manhood, as instrumental agencies, which its ever- advancing necessities may require. How does history authenticate tlie fact that God not only appoints men gifted with plenary inspiration, but men uninspired, to accomplish His purpose in the regeneration of the world 1 When in the post- apostolic period it became necessary to formulate and vindi- cate the fundamental truths of Christianity against the Gnostic and Arian heresies, Athanasius and Cyril appear, '-whose searching and subtle intellects confronted the won- drous problems of Deity, and gave those definitions of the person of Christ and the Trinity which have commanded the homage of the universal Church. Early in the history of Christian life and worship, the demand arose for the enthusiasm of song. Gifted with devout and poetic skill, John of Damascus, and in later times Bernard, penned their hymns, while Gregory, and 2 3 . i ■ i ■' 10 Centennial of Canadian Methodism. Ambrose of Milan, in their chants and cantatas voiced these noble hymns in all the melodies of music. Long before a sacred literature was born, we find that genius consecrated its powers, and became an educating force by which the multitudes were familiarized with religious thought. In the cartoons and statuary of Raphael and Angelo, incarnated in fresco and stone, there was an ever-open Gospel in which were recorded, in tinted and glowing colors, the leading events of Christianity. It was in tlie medijvval times, when the inner life of the Church had gone down to zero, that the schools of the Mystics were originated, and the writings of Thomas a Kempis, Molinos, and Fenelon, attest how deep was tlie spiritual life which God had commissioned them to awaken. At length papacy, insolent as in the times of Hildebrand, avenging in its cruelty and abject in its corruption, became a burden intolerable to the natioi.s, when Luther, Zwingli, and Melanchthon arose, renounced the yoke of Rome, and led the way in the Reformation of the fifteenth century. With the advent of the Wyclif Bible in England, Wyclif, compassionating those wasted and trodden down by feudal despotism, sent forth one hundred men, loyal to the truth, to preach a Gospel of uplifting to the poor. Branded by the stigma of Lollards, and discounted by the grandees of the times, they yet lived on and blossomed into the Puritanism of another age. Never, in the history of the Church, did a great leader appear more essential than in the period immediately preceding the great Methodist revival. The early part of the eighteenth century is one of the darkest pages in the religious history of England. The Restoration witnessed a complete reaction from the stria- it '^i^ i Rise of the Wesleymi Revival. 11 :ics were irked under the i]( gencies wiucn m.irKeu society under tne puritanic of Cromwell. It gave rise to a libertine literature, which found its expression in the nameless degradation of its dramatists, and the social corruption which abounded in the higher life of the nation. The infidelity of Lord Herbert had alienated the aristocracy from the Church, while that of Tyndal and Wolston had taken hold of the popular mind, so that the press abounded with the most gross and ribald attacks on all that was/noble and virtuous in man. The clergy of the Establishment were intolerant in the extreme, and with but few exceptions made no pretensions to piety, and in some instances not even to morality itself. The Non- conformist successors of Doddridge had inclined toward the principles of Socinianism, while the poorer classes were steeped in ignorance, and had descended to a depravity well-nigh beyond conception. The impartial historian frankly admits that all language fails to adequately picture the deterioration which rested alikv> on all classes, from titled nobles to barbarous toilers in the grim and dismal mines of the North. In the obscure rectory of Epworth, amid the marshy fens of Lincolnshire, a child was born to one of the noblest mothers that God ever gave to counsel and inspire a son ; a son who, in the allotment of heaven, was to become the modern apostle to revive the Church and regenerate society ; a son whose line was destined to go out into all the earth, and his words unto the ends of the world. The name of John Wesley will gather strength with the years ; and already he stands as one of the most prominent and remarkable agents whom Providence has ever brought forward for the accomplishment of a great work. Feeble in its beginnings, the ages only will tell the grandeur of its consummation. i f.i « 12 Cejitennial of Canadian Methodism. In briefly sketching the elements which conspire to render Wesley foremost of all revivalists whom the Church has ever witnessed, we propose to notice the System of Truth which he accepted, the Character of his Spiritual Life, the Style of his Preaching, and his Power of Organization as seen in the means which he employed to give permanence to bis work. As a first and fundamental point, we notice that system of theological truth which Wesley formulated and has given as a heritage to the Church. It has seldom fallen to the lot of man to be endowed with a mind so full, so many-sided, as that with which he was intrusted. While it would be untrue to claim for him the inductive power of Bacon ; or to assert that he could walk the inner sanctuary of the soul with the stately tread of Shakspeare, who flashed the torch-light of his genius into the remotest corners of 'he heart ; or that he could wield the philosophic arguniont of Butler ; yet the more profoundly we study his natural endowments the more we are impressed with their remarkable character. He was gifted with a breadth of understanding and a logical acumen which enabled him to grasp any subject which came within the limits of human thought. In him there was reverence^ for authority, and yet a mental daring which led him into new fields of investigation ; an impartiality which refused to be biased, but calmly weighed the claims of rival sytems. He had a spiritual insight which truly belongs to higher souls, by which they discern the affinities niid relations of things spiritual. In addition to these natural endowments, I he enjoyed that wide scholarship and rare culture which the I then first university in the world could supply. Thus furnished, he early in his career laid the foundations of that Rise of the lVesleya?i Revival. 13 to render lurch has of Truth Life, the ization as rmanence at system has given to the lot '^-sided, as be untrue ' to assert . with the h-light of ,* tlieological system which, it is not too much to say, is at once the most comprehensive, scriptural, and best adapted for evanr^elistic work which the sdiools have < ver given to the Churcii ; a system which is ever-widening in its itiHii- lience, modifying other types of religious thought, and which Igives promise of becoming the tlieology of the Churcli of the future. Thus gifted by nature and cultured by art, he ^ seems to have contemplated every systen which had been propounded t' the Churc^. Eliminating what was false, he retained what was scriptural, and combined them with matchless skill. Uow manifestly does this appear ! lie accepted the Augustinian doctrine of sin, but rejected its theory of decrees. He accepted the Pelagian doctrine of the will, but repudiated that teaching which denied the depravity of man and the necessity of spiritual aid. He accepted the spectacular theory of Abelard, and the substi- tutional theory of Anselm, relative to the work of Christ, but utterly rejected the rationalism of the one, and the com- mercial theory of the atonement of the other. He accepted the perfectionist theory and deep spirituality tauglit by Pascal and the Port Royalists, but rejected their quietist teachings, which destroy all the benevolent activities of Christian life. He accepted the doctrine of universal redemption as taught by the early Arminians, but was care- ful to denounce the semi-Pelagian laxity which marked the teachings of the later schools of Remonstrants. He joined with the several 8ocinian schools in exalting the benevo- lence and mercy of God, but never faltered in his declaration of the perpetuity of punishment. Magnifying theeffici-^ncy of divine grace with the most earnest of Calvinists, he at the sanre time asserted that salvation was dependent on the volitions of a will that was radically free. k : ' it ili ii I '• I t ! !!!!!!i!i 14 Centennial of Canadian Methodism. It is impossible to overestimate the influence of the theology of Wesley. If we accept the terms employed in modern theological science, its anthropology confronted and nioditied to an extent that has been underestimated, the sensuous philosophy of Locke, which, running its downv/^ard course, degenerated into the materialism of France, and all the degradation of the positive philosophy of Comte. By asserting the liberty of the moral agent, it vindicated the spiritual nature and essential royalty of man. Its soteriology modified and softened that ultra-Calvinism which overlooked the necessity of personal holiness by a misconception of the nature of Christ's atoning work and the office and work of the Spirit ; while its eschatology rejects the wild and dreamy vagaries of millenarianism, and that monstrous assumption that untainted innocency and desperado villainy will be congregated fcrever in that state where retribution is unknown. How grandly comprehensive, how profoundly iicriptural, and hew intensely practical is this system of theology ! It is pre-eminently the theology of the evangelist who seeks to revive and extend spiritual religion. It contemplates man as utterly lost, and with the knife of the moral anatomist reveals the deep and festering depravity of the human heart. Generous as God's own sunlight, it looks every man in the face and says, " Christ died for you." Vindicating the reality of supernatural communication to the spirit of man, it publishes tht glad evangel that the invited Spirit will throne himself as a wit- ness of sonship and a comforter divine in every willing heart. It holds out the possibilities of a victory over the apostate nature by asserting a sanctification which is entire, and a perfection in love which is not ultimate and final, but progressive in its development forever. Such » Rzse of the Wesley an Revival. 15 .vnv^arci was the system of religious truth with wliicli Wesley started on his mighty career of evangelistic labour. The world has never seen a formula which has more practically unfolded the Spirit of the Gospel, and given it an adaptation to the average intelligence of man. Though scholastic in its origin, yet as he and his coadjutors rang it out over the land, it became a power imperial to sway human hearts and sweep them into the kingdom of God. And this theology, because of its intense loyaflty to the Scriptures, is gathering strength with the years. It is moulding the method of all Churches, and is the right arm of power to every man who aspires to lift up and save the race. Its character is written on every page of the history of the mightiest revival which the Church has ever known. From the theology of Wesley we come to a consideration of its influence over his own mind as seen in his experimen- tal life. We have already referred vu the rare mental endowments with which God had intrusted him. Not inferior were those qualities which conspired to build up that Christian manhood which made him pre eminent as a minister of God. Foremost among those qualities was a will-power which would have made him eminent in any sphere. Meteors Hash and darken again, but planets burn steadily in their brbits. Wesley swung the round of his earthly orbit with unfaltering purpose and ever-increasing brilliance. There is an heroic grandeur in that constancy which carried him directly forward in the accomplishment of his great life- work. With this power of will there was a native integrity and sympathy with the spiritual which is constantly evident throughout his career. Several agencies conspired to lit him for his great work. The first was a sympathy with i ['» J nil! 1 I -I'r] 111 il III f I ■ 1^1 CI 16 Centennial of Canadian MetJiodism. III ill ill' niediteval asceticism. The lives of Lopez, Lawrence, and Fran9ois Xavier had early arrested his attention. Accord- ingly, we find that the history of the Oxford Methodists very clearly brings out the ascetic mould in which the piety of Wesley was cast. The whole of their life assumed the form of monastic order. Their time was divided by seasons of fasting and solitude. Restrictions were placed upon their social intercourse, habits of thought, and daily action. This period was a sort of moral gymnasium in which his spirit was trained and toned, in which his conscience was educated, and in which his duty became the pole-star of his life. Like another Ignatius Loyola, though in the spirit of a servant rather than of a son, lie was ready to cross seas and continents at what he believed to be the call of duty. Wesley never forgot the moral discipline and advantage of this period of his life. Indeed, he regretfully declares that an observance of these rules would have been helpful throughout his entire career. It may be safely doubted whether any man ever accomplished much for God who was not subjected to a like discipline. The lives of Luther, Spener and Knox give marked indications of that self- abnegation which gave fibre and power to their manhood, and, under God, made them mighty for the accomplishment of His purposes. But while the ascetic principles which shaped his early religious life induced a habit of introspection and developed a certain thoroughness and depth in his inner life, it must not be overlooked that Wesley stands forever a debtor to that Moravian type of piety which so largely influenced the entire of his subsequent career. The distinguishing attributes of Moravian piety were its Mi' Rise of the iVesieyan Revival. 17 1 vivid realization of spiritual truth, its demand for an inner consciousness of the divine favour wrouglit out by the Spirit of God, its joyous agf];ressiveness, its unquestioning faitli, and its loyalty to the Divine Word. There ai'e, douV)tless, some features of Moravian teaching, as propounded by Zin- zendorf, that must be questioned ; but the tone of piety is sweet and beautiful in the extreme. Its impelling power is seen in the fact that a comparatively feeble Church has lifted its banner in mission stations over all the earth to an extent unequalled by any Church of similar strength. No sooner had Wesley come under the experimental teachings of Moravians like Bolder than he beheld the ways of Cod more perfectly, and from the night when he felt his heart strangely warmed while reading on the atonement in the Epistle to the Romans, a new power possessed him. Fired by the enthusiasm of divine love, he henceforth more fully gave his entire being to evangelistic labours. But the full power of Wesley's spiritual life stands inseparably connected with his acceptance of the doctrine of Christian Perfection. In his " Plain Account " of this doctrine we find that from the very beginning of his spiritual life his mind had been divinely drawn in this direction. Thomas a Kempis' " Iniitation of Christ " and Jeremy Taylor's " Holy Living " first kindled aspirations for this grace. " Evidence of his early soul-yearnings is found in the fact that, when at Savannah, he penned the lines : — " Is there a thing beneath the sun, That strives with Tlieemy heart to share? Ah, tear it thence, and reign alone, Tlie Lord of every motion there." i. 'I ''i ■M- And on his return voyage he wrote ;l m 'II 18 Centennial of Canadian Methodism. i ! ilii ; I 1'! " O grant that nothing in my soul May dwell, but Thy pure love alune ! O may Thy love possess me whole, My joy, my treasure, and my crown : Strange flames far from my heart remove ; My every act, word, thought be love ! " If there be one master-passion which above all others absorbed the soul of Wesley, it was his intense admiration of the exquisite beauty of holiness which permeates and robos the character with the radiance of heaven. His ever- abiding desire was, that it should crown his own life and constitute the beatitude of others. As the mariner's needle points to the pole, so his heart turned to those who glorified this truth. The estimate which he set upon this experience of entire sanctilication is shown in his repeated declarations that it constitutes the great power of the Church, and that wher- ever it was preached clearly and definitely, as a present experience, the work of God revived. Wherever Ohristians rose to its attainment, they became invested with a new power, which made them potential agents in the work of God ; and he does not hesitate to declare, that if this truth should become obsolete in the Methodist Church, its glory, as a revival Church, would forever pass away. Holiness unto the Lord was, he declared, the great ileposituni intrusted to Methodism, distinguishing it from every other section of the Church of Christ. In the three stages which mark the spiritual life of Wesley there is a remarkable preparation for his great work as the revivalist of the eighteenth centuiy. The ascetic period gave him the mastery of the human heart, and ajiiied him witii power to search the conscience. The attainment of the Moravian type of piety led him out in the Rise of the Wesley an Revival. 19 line of immediate conversion and spiritual attestation to tlje heart, while tiie acceptance of Christian perfection enabled him to guide the Church into that consecration wliich would make its members collaborators in the work of spreading scriptural holiness throughout the land. '\ h i t But from his inner life we may pass on to notice that style of preaching which Wesley employed in accomplishing his great work. The history of the pulpit is in a sense the history of tiie Church, reflecting, as it does, the spirit of the age. Thus, in the apostolic times we have the age of direct statement, as found in Justin Martyr ; the age of allegory, which found its exponent in Origen ; the age of superstition, as expressed in the Montanists ; the age of ecclesiasticism, in Gregory the Great ; the age of doctrine, in the times of the Reformation ; the age of polemics, in the sixteenth century ; and the age of exposition, which found its expression in the great productions of Owen and Howe. It was reserved for Wesley to inaugurate a new method of preaching, which, divested of scholastic fornis, sliould Mt once command the homage of intellect and the heart of untutored simplicity. The eigliteenth century has given us only two names illustrious for pulpit eloquence : Wesley and Whitelield. If one was the Demosthenes of the age, the other was the Seneca. The one was bold, im{)assioned, full of declamatory power and emotional force ; the other was calm, cultured, searching, clear, and powerful in appeal. While the grandeur of Whitetield's pulpit eloijuence swayed for the time, the convinoing and heart-searching appeals of Wesley left a more permanent impression on the age. Stars were they both of the first magnitude ; binary stars, that revolve tl t . '■- \ '•i 20 Centennial of Canadian Methodism. 'f ' tirOI \ m illl^l ll' ' I around eacli other and shed the refulgence of their light on the darkness of their times ; but while the lustre of the one is dimming with the years, that of the other is ever increas- ing in the growing magnitude and permanence of that work which he began. It is conceded by the historians of Wesley, that, while his printed sermons indicate the theology of his preacliing, they furnish but an imperfect conception of that popular power which he wielded. Sir Walter Scott heard him in his early life, and bears testimony to his great versatility, employing argument and anecdote, the simplicity of conversational address, and yet an all-pervading and incisive earnestness which was potent to arrest all who heard it. The preaching of Wesley had always for its object the accomplishment of definite results. Recognizing man as exposed to an eternal penalty on account of sin, and yet unconscious of his peril, he proclaimed the law in all its conscience-searching significance, and uncovered that dark immortality to which unsaved men were hastening, with a vividness and power that awoke the guilty sinner, and prompted him to flee from the wrath to come. It is a complaint throughout the Churches that the spirit of deep conviction and thorough repentance is seldom witnessed as in the past. May this not arise from the want of that tremendous and searching appeal in the modern pulpit which marked the ministry of Wesley and his coad- jutors % To the truly awakened man he brought the fulness of the Gospel, offered an immediate pardon, and insisted upon the attainment of a witnessing Spirit, as authenticat- ing the reality of the gift conferred. Wiih sharpness of definition he kept ever reiterating the privilege of son- sliip, and never ceased to urge on those who had received the marks of sonship the necessity of perfecting holiness in the fear of the Lord. Rise of the Wesleyan Revival. 21 The preaching of Wesley presents a marked contrast to that class who decry all dogmatic teaching, and would emas- culate the Gospel of those great distinctive truths which constitute the bones and sinews and fibres of our Chris- tianity. What gave strength to his teaching was the per- petual presentation of doctrine in iis practical relation to the experimental life of man. It was thus an educating force, and, being surcharged with that divine influence which flowed out from his personal consecration and union with God, it became mightily transforming, making the moral wilderness to rejoice and blossom as a rose. Nothing more fully reveals the grand possibilities which inhere in man than the magnitude of those forces wliich belong to one who is called, commissioned, ar>d anointed to proclaim the Gospel. We admire the power and skill of the artist who evokes from the instrument, of music its many voices, weaving them into harmonies and planting them in the soul so that they live in the memory along the years ; but what is this to the achievement of the preacher who wakes the silent souls of thousands into melodies divine and sends them singing through the great forever, waking in turn nmsic in other hearts as they go to the mountains of myrrh and frankincense, where the day breaks and the shadows flee away ! Such was tlie power of Wesley. From his lips came words that moved the spirits of multitudes toward God, and from that centre there has gone out a power which is ever accumulating with the march of time, working out the regeneration of mighty militant hosts on earth and lifting uncounted millions to the skies. m. M" W- r. I 'i With a theology such as we have described, wielded by an agent so consecrated, and in a manner so adapted to pro- HWh 1 i 22 Centennial of Canadian Methodism. duce immediate results, we cannot wonder that over all the land the flame of revival was kindled to an extent such as the Church had never witnessed. The success which crowned the ministry of Wesley brought into play what must he regarded as one of the crowning attributes of his character —his power of organization. Nothing so distin- guishes the essential greatnels of a man, and gives to him such historic pre-eminence, as the power to organize. The names that stand peerless in government, in war, and in the annals of the Church, were, perhaps, more distinguished in this particular than in any other. This talent for govern- ment Wesley possessed in an extraordinary degree. He had, says Macaulay, the genius of a Richelieu in directing and controlling men. The first outcome of this power was seen in his ability to read the character of men, and select his agents to co-operate with him in his work. It was no ordinary soul that could choose his agents from every class, fling over them the spell of his inspiration, and hold them in line with a precision that well-nigh approached the rigidity of military discipline. Yet this was the sublime spectacle which was witnessed in the last century. Men throughout the isles and over the seas responded to his cell, and loyally toiled at his bidding for the evangelization of the world. The genius of Wesley for organization was further seen in the adjustment to tlie nature of man of that economy which he has given to the Church. The Protestant Church had hitherto resolved itself into two historic forms, the elaborate ritualism of Episcopacy, and the rigid baldness of Presbyterianism ; in the one, the worship assumed a sensu- ous form, appealing to the senses ; in the other, there was a certain cold and unattractive formalism. The quick intelli- 'm •■■■,,i*i Rise 0/ the Wesleyan Revival. 23 gence of Wesley at once grasped the situation ; he recog- nized the power of social influence, and, as a first step, estab- lished those class-meetings and modern ngapa\ or love- feasts, which have developed the spirit of testimony, and generated a warmth of Christian afl'iction that largely con- stitutes the distinguishing bond of Methodism. With this provision for Christian fellowsh'p he organized a system of accurate supervision, by the appointment of an order of sub-pastors, or leaders, whose mission it should be to watch over the individuals intrusted to their care to an extent beyond the power of the ordained pastorate. The wisdom of this appointment all must acknowledge who are familiar with the tendencies of human nature to recede from that position into which they have been Vjrought in times of religious revival, and to renounce their allegiance to God. An eminent prelate has well said, that nothing in Methodism more evinces the far-seeing sagacity of Wesley than his expedient to supply to his followers at once the opportunities for fellowship with the minutest oversight of individual interests. It may well be doubted whether the social economy of Methodism could have been sustained without those won- drous spiritual songs which form the liturgy of the Methodist Church. The hymns of the Wesleys are undeniably the finest exponents of every phase of inner life that uninspired genius has ever given to enrich the psalmody of the Church. They strike every note in the possible of human experience, from despairing penitence up to ecstatic assurance, from tremulous doubt to an exultant faith that smiles serenely amid the wreck of earthly hopes, and sings its jubilate in anticipation of the coming inheritance. The hymns of the Wesleys have shaped the experimental life of |i :: "i V V l,;. mm II :ililt;ii ill' .111 l-Wi Centennial of Canadian Methodism. ::ii..'iv i 'i-'l M: i j t i I,' ■1- ill the Church, they have given it an impress of joy, and for the last century have made it the singing Church of Christendom, to witness Ijefore the world that Christianity is not to walk the ages robed in mourning, but with the light of heaven sparkling in her eye. Clad in garments of praise, with thanksgiving and the voice of melody, she is to testify that " happy is that people that is in such a case ; yea, happy is that people whose God is the Lord." No statement of Wesley's power to organize would be complete without marking the comprehensiveness of his ai^ns, which gave him an elevation that seemed to overlook the ages, and anticipate the demands of an advancing civili- zation. Long before Methodism had built a school or college, Wesley had provided a series of elementary books to aid his untutored converts in the attainment of an adequate education. Recognizing the forces that slumber in cheap literature, he let loose these forces in tracts, pamphlets and magazines, ere yet man had dreamed of organizing tract societies. He thundered with strong invec- tive against the liquor traffic a hundred years prior to the birth of prohibition, and sought to educate his followers to just conceptions of the political issues of their times. Whatever would give strength, endurance, and beauty to the Church ; whatever would fit its members in the highest and noblest sense to make the best of both worlds, this great master-builder pressed into service and consecrated to God. Every type of Methodism over all the earth is at the present instinct with the organizing genius of Wesley. This has given to it permanence and power, and must pro- ject its influence along the line of its entire history. Manifold are the lessons which the history oi John Wesley as a revivalist suggests. Let none suppose that the Rise of the IVeslcyaii Revival. 25 hiirhest culture unfits for the revival work of the Cliurch. The finesit scholarship may be associated with the uiost enthusiastic zeal for the salvation of men. Let none suppose that ministerial power must decline when the freshness and buoyancy of early manhood depart. With advancing years the influence and usefulness of AVesley's ministry increased, and the splendour of its even- tide far surpassed the glory of its dawn. Whoever aspires to fill the horizon of this life with liighest benediction to his race, and gather glory to himself that shall be enduring as the Eternal, let him emulate the spirit of Wesley and the grandeur of his consecration. Sun of the morning, that openest the gates of the day, and comes blushing o'er the land and the sea, why marchest thou to thy throne in the heavens, tilling the firmament with splendour % Why, but to symbolize the coming glory of the spiritually wise. " They that be wise shall shine as the firmament." Star of the midnight hour, that has shone on patriarch and prophet, waking the wonder and admiration of ages and generations, why thy ceaseless burning % Why, but to show the abiding brilliance of the soul-winner. " They that turn many to righteousness shall shine as the stars for ever and ever." ' i i.n • ? '' ! •J : 8 ii!' 1 IIISTO V^' 11 in i II IN trac oftei between h the rise of Scotia, Ne Newfound sec rated in dism into began his Rev. Willi petuated V Apostle of converted t in 1779. ^ from Engla Scenes of V\ Black was HISTORICAL SKETCH OF METHODISM IN THE EASTERN PROVINCES. Bv TiiK Kev. John Lathern, D.D. " A hundred years ago ! What then? * There rose, the world to bless, A littht l)iind of faithful men, A cloud t>f witnesses." — Jiiiacs Montgomery. IN tracing a river to its source a number of springs are often found, and it is not always easy to distinguish between head-waters and tributaries. And so in regard to the rise of Methodism in the Eastern Conferences of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland, we meet with more than one date of con- secrated interest. A year before the introduction of Metho- dism into the United States, in 1775, Laurence Coughlin began his evangelical labours in Newfoundland. But the Rev. William Black was the founder of organized and per- petuated Wesleyan societies, and is justly regarded as the Apostle of Methodism in the Eastern Provinces. He was converted to God at a prayer-meeting held near Amherst in 1779. Several Yorkshire families had come out recently from England to occupy lands vacated by exiled Acadians. Scenes of Wesleyan revival were familiar to them. William Black was then nineteen years of age, at the formative i tit ' ( 1; ■: ! " I ; : . 1 i 1 m ' ■Bli 1 iu m 28 Centennial of Canadian MetJiodisin. period of life, and full of brif,'lit, intellectual promise. Through genuine spiritual change he was led along uncon- sciously to a new history. As in the case of St. Paul, Luther, John Wesley, and other leaders of Christian thought and action, whose hearts have been " strangely warmed," that experimental fact of conversion held in it the germ of all that followed ; flaming evangelism and soul-saving results, throwing over an otherwise inexplicable movement the luminous light of heavenly law. The gifts of William Black were at once exercised in testimony and prayer. He saturated his mind with Wes- ley's evangelical sermons, while glorious hymns moulded his theology and enriched his vocabulary for the proclamation of a free and full salvation ; " To jirai.se the Liinib who died for all, Th(j general Saviour of inankhid.'' The country was then new^ having a population of about twelve thousand, and there must have been great spiritual destitution. Labourers were few. On the 10th of Novem- ber, 1781, manifestly called to special work, the youthful evangelist started on his first excursion. The whole land was* before him. He crossed the Tantramar marshes to forest settlements, and the log dwellings of lonely woods- men, dotting the region between Amherst and the Petitco- diac river. But in Pauline spirit and purpose, and with a genius for evangelism, William Black began to look at once to centres of population, whence lines of influence might radiate to extremities of the land. Windsor became an objective point of his mission. Failing to reach it by way of the Avon, rounding the magnificent Blomidon, he landed The Eastern Provinces. 29 at Cornwallis. ()\\ tlie 26th of May, he preached his first missionary sermon in Nova Scotia. We may well empha- size the date. On that memorable Sabbath, from ocean to ocean, through all the territory of what is now the Dominion of Canada, there was not another Methodist preacher. As might be expected, themes of supreme and infinite glory were announced on the occasion. His first text — the first also of Francis Asbury on this continent — was the aflirma- tion of St. Paul : " For [ determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ and Him crucified." Passing through the land of Evangeline, Windsor was reached on tlie 5th of June, and, after a brief visit to the capital, he was back again to that town on the IGth. Congregations overflowed, an open-air service was held, souls were saved, a meeting for spiritual fellowship was organized, and Sabbath services were closed and croNvned by a love-feast. The work proved to be of a genuine and permanent charac- ter, developed on thoroughly AVesleyan lines. Here, then, we star 1 beneath the morning sky, full of bright promise ; an organized Methodism of the Maritime Provinces. AN IMMENSE CIRCUIT. The reflection of revival, like a pillar of light suddenly kindled in a dark place, caught the eye of distant watchers. In response to urgent appeal, Mr. Black became at once an itinerant preacher, and soon an immense circuit was formed. It led on the eastern side through an unbroken forest to Hali- fax, and extended westward down a noble valley, from the Avon to Annapolis. Consequent upon the closing of the revolutionary war, the year 1783 became one of memor- able and historic interest in the country, for that summer the Loyalists landed in the Eastern Provinces. They came r .(i 30 Centeimial of Canadian MetJiodism. i! with a purpose to hew out homes from the forests primeval of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick ; so that again, as with the Pilgrim Fathers, *' The sounding aisles of the dim woods rung To the anthem of the free." By a coincidence which one cannot but regard as provi- dential, that great evangelistic movement Tiiitiated by Mr. Black took definite shape just in time to become a miglity moulding influence for a new population, estimated at not less than twenty thousand, and to form a potent factor in the development of a fine type of national and religious life in the Provinces. On the 7th and 8th of May, 1783, sixteen sail of ships, with emigrants from New York, of whom a few were old John Street Methodists, anchored at Port Roseway, on the western part of Nova Scotia. 'J'own lots were drawn, soldiers' tents furnished by Government, and there was a dream of making Shelburne a seat of future magnificence, in commerce and structures. The itinerant was soon on the ground, and, standing at a table in front of one of the tents, surrounded by the stumps of newly felled forest trees, he proclaimed the message of a great salvation. But the Word did not run and burn as at Liverpool on the same shore. There was amongst the Loyalists an element of ecclesiastical exclusiveness, and perhaps a recklessness generated by revolutionary experiences. From the out- skirts of the crowd, a stone was hurled with force at the undaunted preacher, and he was threatened with vengeance. But he had the firm support of a little band of brethren, soon to be strengthened by an important accession. An- other fleet of ships reached Shelburne the same fall, and The Eastern Provinces. 31 Mr. John Mann arrived with the refugees. He had been a local preacher in New York, and with his brother, Mr. James Mann, was soon after summoned to the ranks of an itinerant ministry. Coasting a rocky shore, where " forests murmur and the surges roar,'"' Mr, Black visited La Have, Liverpool and 8helburne. The itinerancy of that second year, 1783, comprised also repeated journeys through the Annapolis valley, visits to the Cumberland congre;;^ations, and an excursion across the gulf to Prince Edward Island, then known as St. John's. Leaving Cumberland early in the spring of 1 7(S4, the intrepid pioneer sailed from Halifax, on his second missionary tour, to settlements on the Atlantic coast. A visit was made to Birchtown, adjacent to Shel- burne ; a community of colored people, mostly liberated slaves and refugees, arrivals with the Loyalists, Here fourteen classes were formed. The work there arrested the attention of the venerable Wesley, as with still undimmed eye he scanned the various parts of his world-wide parish, and he regarded it " as a wonderful instance of the power of God." These families were mostly shipped away by the British Government to Sierra Leone, on the western coast of Africa, and there they furnished the nucleus of the first Methodist mission to the Dark Continent. Thus from the surf-beat of the Atlantic to the mouth of the St. Lawrence, a vast circuit was formed within the space of a little more than two years. Very great must have been the exposure and fatigue of such travel in a new country. Reminiscences of old people afford an occasional glimpse of the condition of new settlements in this part of America. Roads through the interior were rough and almost impassable. Shores were skirted by dense woods n I M^ \ » ■f '*[l m 82 Centcfinial of Canadian MetJiodism. ^ili In /I" m |'V'-»i ■ r ..1 "■ m, down to the water's edge. A single log was not alw.ays at hand to bridge the swollen and rapid stream. Often there was a perplexity as to which of the obscure paths might lead safely to destination. And welcome indeed to the preacher, amid the silence and seclusion of the deep and dense forest, were the shelter and hospitality of a log cabin, such as he might reach after long and w^ary hours of solitary travel. But the aspirations of the itinerant were scarcely to be boundec' by the limits of the Eastern Provinces ; and, prizing such indomitable energy, but knowing how to give prudent counsel, Wesley reminded him that Nova Scotia (then understood to include New l»runswick) and Newfoundland were sufficient for one circuit, and it was not expedient to take in any part of the ihiited States. John Wesley's letters to William Black (originals of > 'hich were for some time in possession of the writer) began early in 1783, and were continued to the close of life. They give evidence of a deep solicitude, h.abitual to the mind of England's great Apostle, for the promotion of a genuine work of God in the Provinces. At fiioi/, it was thought that preachers might be sent out from England; but Wesley's plan was to send only volunteers to America, and such did not offer. One or two, it was thought, might be spared from the United States. Acting upon the hint, hi'i youthful correspondent started at once for Baltimore. The now historic "Christmas Conference" of 178-4 was to meet there under the presidency of Rev. Dr. Coke, who, in association with Francis Asbury, had been designated by Wesley for episcopal office and administration, thus paving the way for the perfected organization of the Methodist Clmrch in A.merica. Mr. Black's eloquent appeal to the The Eastern Provinces. 38 Conference evoked a deep synipatliy for the work in tlie Provinces. His enthusiasm fired also the soul of Coke with a missionary zeal, which soon after flashed into the bright- ness of holy and unexampled enterprise, and which continued to burn with pure and ceaseless Hame until he found a grave in the eastern seas. Freeborn Garrettson and James O. Cromwell were ordained and appointed to the mission in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, reaching Halifax early in 1785. Garrettson, charged with the oversight of the work, though young, was a seasoned veteran in the service, as modest as he was meritorious, and as heroic as he was heavenly-minded. He had been born to wealth, but all was freely given up for Christ's sake and the Gospel's, Halifax, where a place of worship was rented, formed a small part of his extensive circuit. He visited all parts of the Province; tr.i versing mountains and valleys, frequently on foot, and knapsack at his back ; threading Indian paths up and down through the wilderness, where it was not exi)edier* or practicable to take a horse ; wading through morasses of wood and water ; satisfying Iiunger and tiiirst from knapsack and brook by the way, while at night he had sometimes to rest his weary limbs on a bed of forest leaves. P)ut there was compensation for toil and self- sacriiice. He had seals to his ministry. Even in com- munities such as Barrington, where there was at first a chill reception. New Light was dissolved, and he witnessed triumphant scenes of saving mercy. In 1785, Nova Scotia found a place for the fivst time on the Minutes of Wesley's Conference. I A \ t.' - -V \ 4: 1;ii fj. U HI 34 Centennial of Canadian Methodisui. PIllST NOVA SCOTIAN CONFERENCK The first meetiiiir of ministerial brethren in the Eastern Provinces, for conferential purposes, took phice in Halifax, in the autumn of 1786. It was hoped that Dr. Coke — bishop in America — might be present. He had left England about the middle of October, -Ijound for the Provinces, accompanied by tiiree missionaries. But unknown to the brethren, under stress of ocean -tempest, the brig had drifted away to the W^st Indies, where a beginning was made in what proved subsequently to be a glorious and successful mission. In addition to Mr. Black, the ministerial staff comprised Messrs. Garrettson, Cromwell, John Mann, James Mann, and William Grandine, formerly of New Jersey. In 1787, Garrettson being needed for a larger field, he and his associate returned to the United States. It is probable that John Wesley and Dr. Coke continued to regard the episcopal form of church govern- ment as the most suitable for all parts of America, and so James Wray was ordained in 1788 for the supervision of the work in the Eastern Provinces. Wesley marvelled at this juncture to learn from "one just come from Halifax," that objection was made to the superintendency of an English- man. But in a new country, especially in this land of the Loyalists, experience, as well as gifts and graces, was a necessary (jualific.ition for an elUcicnt discharge of episcopal functions. Mr. Wray must have been conscious of this fact. He sough*: more genial work in the West Indies, where, two years later, he died " in resignation, peace and lioly joy." In 1789, Nova Scotia was excluded from the Minutes of the English Conference, and in the same year Mr. Black was ordained at Pliiladelphia by Bishops Coke TJie Eastern Provinces. 35 and Asbuiy. He was at once appointed to the superinten- dency in Nova Scotia and Newfoundland. The death of the immortal Wesley, March, 1791, must liave seemed like a final severance of these Eastern missions from tlie English Conference, and that summer found Mr. Black at Philadelphia in consultation with Dr. Coke as to the future of his charge. The policy then adopted was one of close and organized relation to the Methodism of the United States. In that year 1791 — signalized also by the first regular appointment to Upper Canada— the New York Conference appointed six preacliers to circuits in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. On the American Conference Journal, stations appeared as follows : William Black, Elder ; Halifax, William Jessop, Jolni Mann ; Liverpool, Thomas Whiteliead ; Shelburne, William Early ; Cumberland, Benjamin Fiddlei' ; Newport, John Cooper ; St. John, John Ragan ; Annapolis, James Boyd. Two or three other preachers followed in tlie footsteps of these pioneers during the later years of the century. But the stay of these American preacliers in the Provinces came to be transient and uncertain, a matter to be deeply regretted, as they possessed the requisite qualitications for a rougl) itinerancy in a new country. Early departure could not ]v„» a been due to the nature of mission work, for they werc; Ml red to hardshi}). It may not have been congenial to encounter dominant loyalist feeling. But the thought returns that the main cause of hurried departure, remem- bering that there was then no missionary society, was the strain of inadec^uate financial resources. The last of the preachers who had laboured for longer or shorter periods in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, returned in 1799 to the United States. It now became a policy of necessity to look 11 ii ■ i • ■ ■ .".'■' 1 ^l-.'-^W ;J ■ ■; "■ -■ : J ■■ i f j 1 i I 3G Centennial of Canadian MetJiodisvi. I ,' ,f. to Englisli IVfetliodisin, then beginning to flame with missionary zeal, for requisite ministerial supply. W\ METHODISM IN NEW BRUNSWICK. When, in tentative excurinoii, William Black first crossed the Tantramar marshes, a vast forest territory stretching away to the boundaries of the United Stfttes formed the county of Sunbury, a part of Nova Scotia. But soon after the arrival of the Loyalists, it was created into a province, and received the name of New Brunswick. On the 18th of May, 1783, several thousands of refugees landed on the rocky and wooded shore of what is now the St. John market slip. Amongst them was Stephen Hum- bert, one of the grantees of the new town, and the follow- ing year, 1784, when the Province received its constitution, a representative in the House of Assembly. Mr. Humbert was a New Jersey Methodist, and he pi'oved splendidly loyal to his religious convictions. His memory should be kept green in St. John Methodism ; and the wreath should bo irterwoveii with another of imperishable lustre, that of John Abraham Bishop, a native of Jersey, and a man of rare saint- liness of character. Methodism was at that time under a ban, and it was no light undertaking to plant its standard in the loyalist town. But sanctified tact and holy courage were crowned with merited success. Mr. Bishop reached St. John on the 28th of September, 1791, a date forever memorable in our eastern annals. He was welcomed by Mr. Humbert, and preached on the first Sunday after his arrival. The following Sabbath, the first in October, a class was organized. Methodism had come to stay. Very oppor- tunely a building had been vacated by the Episcopalians, on the dedication of Trinity, and it was secured for Wes ■ I TJie Eastern Provinces. .37 leyan worship. This was tlie precursor of grand old sanc- tuaries that went up in the flames of 1877, and of the later Queen Square and Centenary splendid structures. Under Mr. Bishop's ministry, remarkable for its holy unction and persuasive tenderness, a con<];regation was soon gathered. Excursions were made up the river to Sheffield, Fredericton and Nashwaak, everywhere with abiding revival results. A marvellous success caused a difficulty in regard to ministerial supply. How could settlements on the river be visited without loss to the infant cause in the town] Rev. William Bla k, ever on the alert, sought to strengthen the work under iiis supervision at every avail- able point. He hastened across the I>ay of Fundy for the purpose of ministering to the St. John congregation, in the absence of its beloved missionary. But under a regime of rigid exclusiveness, an officious magistrate threatened him with arrest and imprisonment in the county gaol, should lie attempt to preach without a special license from the Gover- nor. This could not be conveniently obtaine'l. and there was nothing better to be done than to return to his own work in Nova Scotia. Scarcely had two years of successful labour been com- pleted in New Brunswick, when Air. Bishop was inoppor- tunely removed to the West Indies ; his knowledge of the French language constituting an exceptional qualification for ,the Island of Crrenada. He soon after caught the yellow fever, was laid in a missionaiy grave, and was mourned by his brethren as " one of the lioliest men on earth." But while God buries His workmen, He carries on His work. At St. Stephen and the western parts of the Province, Duncan McOoll was raised up and conunissioned for the j- Kit Ml li : A '[ ( 1 ■ ■ j in it^Ji 1 m^ I'! '.< 11' ! I' I'! tr 38 Cenicnnial of Canadian MctJiodism. fulHlment of a special ministry. A brave Scotchman, and a soldier, he had often been under iire during the revolu- tionary war. But converted to God through an extra- ordinary agency, he became an eager student of Mr. Wes- ley's writings, and tlie herald of a full salvation. He preached along the line, where he was located, organized classes, was ordained by Bishop Asbury in 1795, and ful- filled a faithful ministry for nearly forty years. Preachers from the United States, and others, who followed, kept up the ministerial succession. Circuits were formed on the River St. John, in Charlotte county, Westmoreland and Miramichi. It is worthy of note that the first Methodist church edifice opened in the Lower Provinces — and the first in all the territory of what now is Canada —was at Sack villa, N.B., 1790. Another church was erected tlie same year at St. Stephen. Tlie next was the Argyle Street Chapel in Jfalifax, 1792, built mainly through Rev. William Black's exertions ; Zoar it was called, a place of lefuge for a con- gregation excluded from the Marchington building. Tliat old Argyle sanctuary, around which hallowed memories still cling, as tlie green ivy twines around a mouldering ruin, has been replaced and followed by a goodly group of Methodist churches. As a way-mark of progress, it may be mentioned that the same year, 1791, saw the erection of tlie first Methodist church edifice in Upper Canada, (rermain Street, St. John, N.B., another of our historic structures, dates from 1807-8. PIONKRR WORK I\ PltlNCE EDWARD ISLAND. This gem of our eastern territory was known as the Island of St. John's until 1799. We have seen that in the fire of St. La> In 1 (J rand i Black Chariot prising membei twenty regular Ed ware foundla he was from th odist in Cliarloti in the C iiation. other m Metliod town, ai broaden plied, that th enterpr; adhereii Tills contain Ed ware body hii Cliristif A cause m The Eastern Provinces. 39 fire of a fresh evungelisin, Mr. Black crossed tlie Gulf of 8t. Lawrence in 1783. In 1792, a passage from the mainlantl was made by Mr. (Jrandine. A second time, in the autumn of 1794, William Black visited the Island, apparently with good results. At Charlottetown, he preached to an influential audience, com- prising a number of dignitaries. A class of six or seven members held in it the germ of a future cause. At Tryon, twenty persons made application for membership. The tirst regularly appointed minister to the Island (now Prince Edward) was Jatnes Bulpit, formerly a missionary to New- foundland. Reao'hing Murray Harbour, July 20th, 1807, he was welcomed by aljout fifty people. They were mostly from the Channel Isles, and had been brought under Meth- odist influence through the ministry of Adam Clarke. At Charlottetown, Mr. Bulpit found fifteen uiembers, preached in the Court House, and was listened to by a large congre- gation. I[e was succeeded by Messrs. Hick, Strong and other ministers, whose names are now a cherished memory. Methodism has won a commanding position in Charlotte- town, and through most parts of that beautiful island it is broadening out all its borders, whilst its converts are multi- plied. The last census brought out the extraordinary fact that this Church, as the result of sustained e\angelical enterprise, had during the decade doubled the number of its adherents. This historical sketch would be incomplete were it not to contain some notice of the Bible Christians of Prince Edward Island. A number of families connected with that body having emigrated from Devonshire, England, a Bible Christian missionary was sent out to the Island in 1831. A cause was organized. This was the only form of JMethodism 1 ( p h 5 ■ft 'i ■■!lij ■i It, 40 Centennial of Canadian Methodism. other thanWesleyan ever established in tlie Lower Provinces. For several years the Bible Christian ministers and people put forth strenuous and successful exertions for the spread of Scriptural holiness through the kind, until its half-dozen ministers and congregations became part of a united Canadian Methodism. In regard to Cape Breton, another portion of eastern territory, separated from Nova Scotia by a narrow strait, but forming part of that Province, it may suffice to say that the lirst stationed minister, 1829, was the Rev. Matthew Cranswick, a man of tine presence, noble character, and a successful winner of souls. mul had now NEWFOUNDLAND AND ITS MISSIONARIES. The tirst mission of English Methodism was to the Ancient Colony, and to the work in Newfoundland must be assigned a prominent place in the annals of our Eastern Methodism. In 1775, as has been noted, Lawrence Coughlin was sent out from England as a missionary to Newfound- land. Though for several years a Methodist preacher and a correspondent of Wesley, he laboured there in connection with the Church of England Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts. But at Harbour Grace he did the work of an evangelist. His converts were formed into classes, and considered as Methodists. In 1782, Coughlin's health failed, and he returned to England. It now devolved on two local preachers, one of whom was John Strettin, to care for those slieep in the wilderness. An appeal was made to Wesley for a preacher. At the Conference of 1785 Newfoundland was put on the Minutes, and John McGeary was appointed to the mission. But, in the mean- time, the Roman Catholics had put on their strength and |*5fW'-W?^"''!'^-?-W-''tW''''^ *■ *■''" * • 1 The Eastern Provinces. 41 multiplied their agencies. The results of Coughlin's labours had been largely scattered, as fifteen members only could now be found. John McGeary toiled under deep discour- agement for .1 period of five years, uncheered by ministerial success, often in straitened circumstances, and then began to think of abandoning the Island. At a gloomy crisis, 1791, after consultation with Coke, the Rev. William Black visited Newfoundland, and his visit was felt by the forlorn and depressed missionary to be as ''life from the dead." At Carbonear, Harbour Grace and Blackhead, Pentecostal scenes were witnessed. Two hundred souls were converted to God around Conception Bay during the special services then held, and a new and blessed impetus was given to the cause of Methodism. But Mr. McGeary could not see his way to remain longer at the arduous and exposed outpost mission. He soon after returned to England, and, to the serious loss of a struggling cause, no missionary was sent to replace him during the years 1792-93. But the time was nearing when the star of missionary enterprise was to rise into ascendency in English Methodism. Another appointment v/as made in 1791, and from that time, in Newfoundland, there was an uninterrupted ministerial supply. In 1815 the circuits of Newfoundland — Carbonear, Blackhead, Port de Grave, Island Cove, St. John's, Bona vista — were formed into a missionary district. There was then a staff of six ministers : Sampson B. Busby, "William Ellis, John Pickavant, John Lewis, Thomas Hickson and John Hickson. The following year, 1816, was signalized by a magnificent reinforcement of Methodist agency. Six mis- sionaries arrived that year from England, and two of these were Richard Knight and George Cubitt, each one a host in Vi It;-' I ii s W mi i4. 42 Centennial of Canadian Methodism. V, li ^i r himself. Passing over the years between, we find a bead- roll of immortal names. F .cts of which the writer became cognizant during a recent visit to tlie Island, chiefly from contact with missionaries from solitary stations — compelled at that season to visit 8t. John's for supplies — produced a thrill of sympathy and of exultation. It was like reading a chapter from the Acts of the Apostles or pages of John Wesley's Journal, to hear of the toils and tireless energy of men who proclaim the message of salvation to fishermen and their families along those northern shores. Such experiences make men heroes. But in that most eastern of our Conferences, from Con- ception Bay to the dreary coast of Labrador, the years of ceaseless persistence have been crowned with gladness and triumph. From Cape Freels to Cape John, on the northern part of the Island, there was no record of Methodism in the official returns of 1836. But at the last census, out of a population of about 20,000, a little over 10,000 people of that district were returned as Methodists. Such magnifi- cent results may well lead us to exclaim, What hath God wrought ! In Newfoundland, we have circuits — as at Car- bonear, with its spacious church edifice and overflowing congregation — which any preacher might covet for possi- bilities of usefulness. At St. John's, the noble and com- manding architecture and position of ecclesiastical and edu- cational structures cannot fail to challenge the admiration of deputations or other visitors interested in the progress of our work— on a first visit to that city. To God be all the praise ! " When he first the work begun, Small and feeble was his day ; Now the Word doth swiftly run, Now it wins its widening way." T New sunn Tot or fie isles, grove sapph climat tion, a lifted Tlie mud a datiiifif outcast An ins( St. Geo fortitud as in th " Joh in gaol 1 the Gos] Negroes, The ni In May, his worl^ station w created, i diflicultie sionary f ^^^'^""^f^T'l'SSSSA TJic Eastern Provinces. 43 ■ ii i- MISSION WORK IN BERMUDA. Transition in thought from the storm-swept shores of Newfoundland and ice-bound Labrador to the soft and sunny scenes of distant Bermuda requires some mental effort. To the north, around a perilous coast, are fierce hurricanes or fields of floating ice. Far to the south are the summer isles, with their picturesque beauty and fragrant cedar groves, where shore and coral reef are laved by waters of sapphire hue and clearness. But to every extieme of climate and race the Gospel of Jesus has a perfect .idapta- tion, and in all latitudes the consecrated cross has been up- lifted with success. The pioneer missionary of the Methodist Church to Ber- muda was the holy and heroic John Stephenson, the mission dating from 1799. His attempts to reach and lift up an outcast race encountered bitter and unscrupulous opposition. An inscription cut with his penknife in the cedar floor of St. George's prison, recounts a thrilling story of faith and fortitude, indicating a pure flame of consuming zeal, such as in the martyr's glowed : — " John Stephenson, Methodist missionary, was imprisoned in gaol for six months, and fined flfty pounds, for preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ to African Blacks and captive Negroes. St. George's, Bermuda, July, 1790." The mission was suspended for more than eight years. In May, 1808, the Rev. Joshua Marsden, summoned from his work in St. John, N.B., arrived at Bermuda. The station was a most difficult one. An interest had to be created, in the face of all but insuperable obstacles. But difficulties were surmounted. The intrepid but gentle mis- sionary found favour with the people. Souls were con- sul! ! ;'li 'i m i , v.i \ !■'■ i' 1 i \ ; X 'ill i i m 11 44 Centennial of Canadian Methodism. verted to God. Congregations increased. Places of v'orship were erected at St. George's, Hamilton, Somerset and else- wliere. Marsden was succeeded by Dunbar, Wilson, Ray- ner, Douglas, Dawson, Moore, and other faithful men ; not to speak of the brethren who, under a later dispensation, have been sent from the Provinces to take charge of the circuits in Bermuda, and who on their return have fasci- nated us with reminiscences of their ministry in those isles of glowing tropical light and beauty. mW ENGLISH WESLEYAN MISSIONARIES. As we have seen, the last of the preachers from the United States returned home, 1799, and it became necessary to look elsewhere for a ministerial supply for the Provinces. The magnificent idea of missionary enterprise was beginning to mark the era of a new glory in English ]\[ethodism. In finance, it was still a day of small and feeble things, but claims of colonial as well as foreigii fields were beginning to receive enthusiastic recognition. Hearts were fired with the idea of a universal evangelization, and not without a thrill of admiration can we think of the bold measures adopted at that day of conspicuously inadequate means, and of the sublime faith and heroic fortitude of the pioneer of Methodist missions. In 1799, the Rev. William Black crossed the Atlantic to England, appealed to the Wesleyan Conference for labour- ers, won the confidence and love of the l)rethren of that noble body, and found a generous response to his request. Under the direction of Dr. Coke, four missionaries were appointed to the Eastern Provinces. Accompanying i\Ir. Black on his return voyage, they reached Halifax on Sun- day evening, the 4th of October, 1800. Two of these young Hi 2SS^ TJic Eastern Provinces. 4$ men, Lowry and Ollpliant, p'oved a failure in this field, scarcely coiM[)leting their ministerial probation. But William Bennett, the iirst Englishman to identify himself with the work in this country, fullilled a lon^ and faithful ministry, and finished his course with joy in his ei^dity- eighth year. The story of Joshua Marsden, anothei" of this band, can still be reail in his glowing narrative. He reached his first station by sail over river and basin, and a long tramp through a dense Cuuiberland forest. His cir- cuit comprised Dorchester, Sackville, Tantramar, Bay de Verte, Amherst and Nappan; extended by excursions through the woods, along a pathway of blazed trees, to settlements on the gulf shore. It would not be possible within prescribed limits to trace the ministerial succession of the ^Methodist Church in the Maritime Provinces, to tell of William Sutclifie, Stephen Bamford, James Knowlan and William Croscondje, all preachers of distinguished ability, following Bennett and Marsden during the first decade. Nor will space avail to recount even the names of their coadjutors and successors, down to this centennial year. At a memorial service, 1882, in commemoration of one hundred years of denominational history in the Eastern Provinces, the Rev. Ingham Sutclifle spoke of himself as one of the few living links that united the first with the second half of the century. To him it was a jear of jubilee. It was fifty years since he began his ministry ; two years before the venerable Black had passed away, saying, "All is well." Dating from 1832, he stood midway in the succession. Nine or ten ministerri, contem- poraries of Mr. Black, were living still, measuring out the full years of the century. Amongst them were Dr. Enoch Wood, of rare tact and administrative ability ; Dr. Matthew e?- i. ii t- •li''! \ li <;: i-l 4G Centennial of Canadian Methodism. t ! t ^ a .'(IT' it #i' ■H::: 5i Hitliey, tho most eloquent pre.iclior in ( 'iuuula. if not of his time ; Dr. A. W. McLcotI, a defender of our doctrines ; Dr. John .McMurniy, a recipient of merited ecclesiastical honours ; Kev. (Jeorge Johnson, who had not only preached but lived the Gospel ; Uev. Josepl; Fli'tcher Dent, whose snowy locks were to him a crown of glory ; Jiev. Jajues G. Hennigar, genial and faithful ; i{ev. Henry Daniel, vigor- ous and oi'thodox in tlie })ulpit, anil vigihint in the mainten- ance of godly discipline. These honoured ministers had mostly been associated with the ven( rated 15ishop iilack, and after their more than iifty yeai's of toil, would soon join him in the rest of the pronnsed land ; ready to say, " I pray thee, let me go over and see the good land that is beyond Jordan, that goodly mountain, and Lebanon." " For myself, as one of the number," said the elocpient veteran, " I see the streaks of light on the to})S of the mountains, and tiiat light reaches over to the other shore. " ' For me my i'UUt brctluvn Htay, And jingcls lu-ckon ni' awiiy, And .Ii'HUs bids iiu' c»)nii'.' " Since then most of those living bnks have ))een severed by death. But one or two remain to unite first .and linal decade" of the centuiy. Our fathers, where are they "? "All died in faith.' Their bodies were buried in peace, but their names live for evermore. Th AN AKFI ^1 VTK1> CONKKUKNCK. Until 1855 the work in the IMaritime Provinces and the colony of Newfoundland formed an important part of the colonial and foreign missions of th(^ Kin^dish NN'esleyan Con- ference, and was managed by tlu London Missionary Com- The Eastern Provinces. 47 mittee. That year was historic in the annals of our Eastern Methodism. The missions of this countiy were then organized into an atliliated Conterenc. This new departui'e was made under th(^ guidance of Rev. Dr. J*eecham, a man of solid and luminous judgment, lai'g(; experience and special aptitude for successful organization. UndiM* his presidency the Conference held its first session in the city of Halifa.v, .July 17th, hSor) ; tlu; following preliminary notice heing appended to published minutes of proceedings : - " Tlie Wesh^yan Missions of Nova Scotia, New llrunswick, Pritice Edward Island and Newfoundland — commenced towards the 'dose of the last century hy the Rev, William IJlack — being constituted a distinct atliliated connexion, the minutes of the several conversations of the ministers from tho-ie Provinces, and the Bermudas, assembled in (Con- ference, under the presidency of the Rev. \^\\ Reecham (the deputation from England), are now published as the Minutes of tlu^ First ConfenMice of the Wesleyan Methodist Connexion, or Church, of Eastern British America, under the sanction of the British Conference." The constituency of this Eastern ContVrence, .-^-cording to tabular exhibit, compris(!d at that time 88 ministers, lU, l.'UI members, 9,111 Sunday-school scholars, and over 60,000 estimated adherents. Sent out from the British Conference, under the direction of Dr. Beecham, in the course of that ecclesiastical year, the writer of this sketch had then a lirst experience of minis- terial work in the Maritime Provinces, and an opportunity of attending several scissions of the S(»cond Conference, held in Centenary Church, St. John, N.B. A mental impression of the im'Aonm'l and proceedings of that body has passed into a vivid and indelible memory. It was a purely minis- " « t'l i i 1 ^ ! 1 ' 1 } ? 7 1" ■* I 1 I \ \ i H> w 1 1*^ 48 Ccntenniat of Canadian MetJiodism. terial conference. Lay representation had not tlien become a living question. Deliberation^ were conducted with closed doors. The chair was occupied with dignity and courtesy by the eloquent Dr. Richey, and Rev. William Temple was at the secretary's table. It was a small con- ference, but comprised, in addition to those already named, such theologians, Biblical scholars, and preachers, as Drs. Evans, Knight and Pickard ; Revs. E. Botterell, Charles Churchill, F. Smallwood, William Wilson, William Smith, Charles Do Wolfe, J. R. Narraway, H. Pojje and T. iM. Albrighton ; whilst amongst the candidates for ordination was the present Professor of Theology, Rev. Dr. Stewart. The alhliated arrangement worked to decided advantage. Untrammelled action led to a new sense of responsibility. An impetus was given to aggressive spiiitual enterprise. Boundaries of circuits were pushed beyond their old lines. Home missions were formed. New territory was occupied. Methodism was established among agricultural, lumbering, mining and tishing communities, through the interior and along oui' extended shores. The CJospel was carried to those who needed it most. Hence the proportionately large increase of ministerial agency as conq)ared with that of com- municants. The atliliated dispensation lasted nineteen years. During that period ministers multiplied from 84 to 204 ; while the roll of membership ran up from a little over 13,000 to 20,000. Some of the distinctive features of tlie Atliliated Confer- ence may be indicated : — Vested Rif/hts. — To all missionaries in full connexion at the date of Conference organization, regarded as members of the IJritish Conference, there was a guarantee of super- numerary and other linancial claims. TJie Eastern Provinces. 49 Annual Grant. — An annual grant wr.s stipulated from the Wesleyan Missionary Society, for disbursement accord- ing to the exigencies of circuit work, but subject to a con- dition of gradual reduction and of ultimate withdrawal. W^slei/an Laio and Usage. — In church government, the Conference was amenable to the common law and usage of English jSIethodism, as embodied and expounded by Grind- rod. There was, conse(iuently, a very wide scope for the discussion of constitutional questions, legal principles and valid usage, and, as might be expected, some sense of con- straint was experienced in subsequent transition to the recognized authority of "Discipline." Supervision. — Annual nomination to the presidential office had to be ratified by action of the Bi itish Conference. Rev. Dr. Richey was designated to that office for five years, 185G-60, in succession. At intervals an English Wesleyan minister was deputed to visit the Provinces, and to preside at the Eastern Conference ; an exercise of prerogative always hailed with unmingled satisfaction, for it led to the visits of such distinguished ministers as Boyce and Thornton, Drs. George Scott and Morley Punshon. Right of Veto. — A veto right — rarely if ever exercised — • » was retained by the parent body, especially in the case of legislation supposed to affi^ct connexional interests and institutions ; a salutary proviso, as it tended to conservative and qautious enactment. Unchanged Relation to Foreign Missions. — A policy was adopted for identifying foreign mission eflbrt in the affili- ated Conference with, or rather in subordination to, the operations of the Wesh^yan Missionary Society. Under tins policy the funds raised in the colonies for the promotion of foreign missions were to be retained as part of the stipu- ■u\n 'i1 ■ I h"h '■ i-il ( 1 * 1 I ( 1 • fe u 1 50 Centennial of Canadian Metliodism. i 11:; \v:s 'i I if lated grant ; or, in case of an excess, the balance only to be remitted to the General Treasurer ; an order, regarded in all its phases, considered to be the least satisfactory feature of affiliation. Economic Devdopment. — Contingent and children's funds were instituted for the relief and equalization of circuit finance. A supiuMiunierary fund was formed as part of the Eastern Conference organization ; which, as " the super- numerary ministers' and nnnisters' widows' fund of the eas- tern section of the Methodist Church," is still administered on the legal basis of its original constitution. As it came to be felt that the machinery of economical operations was incomplete without sustcntation, a home mission fund was organized, available for the extension of the work of God within Conference boundaries, and generously supported by our people. MKTIIODIST UNION, 1874-83. The year 1874 was signalized in the annals of Eastern Methodism byanother vital change in its ecclesiastical organi- zation. The Conference of Eastern Dritish America, the Wesleyan Methodist Conference of Ontario and Quebec, and the New Connexion Conference, were then constituted into tlie Methodist Church of Canada. AtMliated relations were dissolved, and the Eastern Conference was declar»!d defunct. In subordination to a Genei'al Conference, Maritime districts were formed into the three Annual Conferences of Nova Scotia, New ih'unswick and Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland : having executive and pastoral functions, and so pei'pctuatrd to the present time. Another union wave swept over the Cliurch in 188.'3, resulting in the unification of Methodism from the Atlantic 1 to th( 1st, Bible distill Provii the W( or fou occasi( Ontari geogra easteri depart the coi same ii as in tl But ulated increasi ference5 35,676 hundrec in doctr enterpri one in wrought Redeem Methodi It ma note a se departm The Eastern Provinces. 51 to the Pacific ; a iiioveinent which took legal effect on July 1st, 1884. With the exception of a few congregations of Bible Christians in Prince Edward Island, there were no distinct bodies to constitute a larger union in the ISIaritinie Provinces. There liad been no experience in this part of the work of the rivalries and interlacing operations of tiiree or four divisions of the same denomination, such as had occasioned friction and economic waste in several parts of Ontario. In the meantime we had come to realize that geographical distances must still involve a necessity for eastern and western sections in some General Conference departments. It was scarcely to be expected, perhaps, that the consummation of a United Methodism would excite the same intense and uniform glow of enthusiasm in the eastern as in the western portions of tiie work. But union is strength ; we all feel it to be so now. Tab- ulated and authentic departmental statistics indicate an increasing numerical and financial sti'ength. Eastern Con- ferences aggregate a staff' of 262 ministers and a roll of 35,670 communicants. An extraordinary increase of one hundred percent, since 1874. "All one body we." Oik? in doctrine and discipline, one in fellowship and spiritual enterprise, one in a glorious hymnody and blesseu charity, one in testimony as to the worth of the work our fathers wrought, one in loyalty to all tiie crown-rights of our divine Redeemer, and one in the magnificent unity of our Canadian Methodism ! CONNE.XIONAL INSTITUTIONS. It may be of interest at this commemorative period to note a semi-centennial date in coiniectiou with two important departments of Church enterprise in the Eastern Conferences. i': ii lii » (I i M ' I : 1 i ^ 4 *' i \\ \ ' . 1 ii ' 1 Centennial of Canadian Methodism. !J) .p-l % ft i I About the beginnJnp; of January, 1840, the attention of our peopk; was directed to the formation of a *' Wesleyan JJook l^epot " for the dissemination mainly of our denomi- national literature. The agency was started on a slender scale and v/itli limited resources. A room was set apart in the parsonage for the books ; and, commencing with credit for capital, the enterprise had to struggle for continued existence. But tlse Book Room thus begun has been the means of circulating an ever-broadening stioam of punt literature through these land., especially of standard Wesleyan works, and has proved a right arm of strength to Maritime Methodism. It now foi'ms the eastern section '^f the General Conference Book and Publishing Department. Fifty years ago, June 9th, 1840, Charles F. Allison laid the corner-stone of Sackville Academy. His design was the foundation of an institution in which the higher branches of education might be taught under trie control of the Methodist Church. For this purpose he secured an eligible site, and expended Ji?16,000; the largest sum for education from one donor, up to that time, in the Provinces. Other munificent gifts followed. The formula used by Mr. Allison on the occasion of the foundation ceremonial was in distinct accord with the traditional policy of the Methodist Church :— *' The foundation stone of this building I now proceed to lay in the name of the Holy Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, and may the education ever to be furnished by the institution be conducted on Wesleyan principles, to the glory of God and the extension of His cause. Amen." Educational enterprise at Mount Allison has grown with tlie growth of our eastern work. Dr. Pickard, first Principal of the Academy, and first President of the College, was iiii>ww-i mi '■ -Si -f ' The Eastern Provinces. 58 identified with tliis department for over w qi arter of a century ; and to his administrative ability and indomitable energy the success achieved was, in a large measure, due. Under later management the same high standard of efficiency has been maintained, and with conspicuous success. Mount Allison is beautiful for situation. Several sunnuits overlook the site of the first edifice, bounded by spacious meadows flowing avvay to meet the distant sky, and these are crowned by a commanding group of educational struc- tures ; an honour to the land, as well as a credit to the Methodist comnmnity. The several institutions at Sackville — Academy, Ladies' College, University and Theological Departments — aggregated during the past year an atten- dance of 290 students. Facts of past successes are fraught with encouragement for the future of our work in these Eastern Conferences. " The best of all is, God is with us."* ! ■■; ' ► i '■■ ! ,; ( 1 * Tlio.so who ar«' sufficit'iitly intcn'sted in ili anhject of this papor to desire iiiorc than a rajtid sketch, should consult the admirable " History of I'^astern Methodism," by Kev. T. Watson Smith. Very seasonable is the pro])OHed ptiblication of the second volum*' in tliis centennial year ; and, as the work is one of denominational import tnce, it ou^dit to com- mand a most liberal patronage. P.S. — Since the :i,bove sketch was con^(>leted the second volume has been published, and reflt^cts highest credit on the historian of our Eastern Conferences. t 1 1 \ ^ ! i 1 ■i\': • 1 1 1 ., I 1 ti i i M im I i;» Methi nial 2 with i stiniu develc a hum the p Metho Th(5 Tuffey Qu(;be< to pre? city/ a banded in Upi Neal, frontiei interesl mm HISTORICAL SKETCH OF Till' WESLI'YAN METHODIST CHURCH IN UPPER AM) LOWER CANADA. Bv THE Rev. Hugh Johnston, M.A., D.D. iff r IT has been said that not to know history is to he always a child, and for a follower of Wesley to be ignorant of Methodist history is to be a child indeed In this Centen- nial year of Canadian Methodism, a better acquaintance with its history, its institutions and its doctrines, will be stimu'ating and inspiring to the whole Church. The present development of Methodism in this Dominion is the result of a hundred years of effort and of blessing. We are to trace the progress and work in Old Canada of the Wesleyan Methodist branch of this united household. Th(j first Methodist preacher in Lower Canada was a Mr. Tufley, a Commissary of the 44th regiment, which came to Quebec in 1780, when this pious and zealous man began to preach to the soldieij^ and Protestant emigrants of that city, and continued to do so 'until hio regiment was dis- banded and he returned home. The first Metho'^ist preacher in Upper Canada was another British ofhcer. Major George Neal, who, in 1786, began to preach on the Niagara frontier. While war affects disastrously all religious interests, yet in the marching and countermarching of l:i m Ccntcmiial of Canadian MctJiodism. It ix i it fill' arniios, tlio (Jospolof Peace lias befns])rfad by converted soldiers. Tims was JMetholism f)laiited at (libraUar and other points in the Old World ; and in Hritish North America, the first to proclaim the good news of salvation were converted soldiers of the British armv. The first regular Methodist itinerant who came to Canada, was William Losee, who, in January, 1790, canic^ to see some of his U. E. Loyalist relatives and friends, who had settled in Adolphustown. He had preached his way from Lake Champlain Circuit to Canada, and along through Matilda, Augusta, Elizahethtown and Kingston, and then throughout the Bay of Quinte townships, until a flame of revival was kindled and many converted. The settlers longed for a missi6nary to dwell among them, and a petition was extensively circulated and forwarded to the Nf^w York Conference, which met in October of the same year. The petition was granted, and Losee was appointed to Canada, with instructions to form a circuit. The field was, indeed, wide and hard, yet an inviting one, and he was soon back again, preaching with self-sacrificing zeal the words of life and salvation. The first class in Canada was formed on the Hay l>ay shore, Sunday, February 20th, 1791 ; the second on the 27th February, in the village of Hath ; and the third in Fredericksburg, on the 2nd of IVIarch, the epochal day of Mr. Wesley's death. The plant j^f JMethodism had taken root and the tree was rising. The new circuit was called the Kingston Circuit, and embraced nef\rly all the settle- ments from Kingston around the liay of Quinte and the peninsula of Prince Edward. The first Methodist chapel was built on Paul Hough's lot. Hay Bay, a humble struc- ture, but it was the beginning of the many costly temples '■ ' BARBARA HECK. I! II ■' that ] Meth Ernes for cli had h up of tlie I odists crowi; Britis "prec Meth( Meth( forme propri ill thii oil the 179L', Los of the name* wliich burg, uiinist now a ineetir harn, 1 the pi-i charge on Sa a love when, ■m upper and Loivcr Canada. 57 that have since been huilt for the worship of God by the Methodists in Canada. Tlic second church was erected at Ernestown, near the village of Bath, and was soon opened for divine worship. This was organized Methodism. There had been a class formed in Augusta as early as 1788, made up of Paul and Barbara Heck, their three sons, some of the Kinburys, John Lawrence, and perhaps other Meth- odists who, influenced by feelings of loyalty to the British crown, had left New York and come that year to reside in British territory. The Irish Palatines, who bore the " precious seed " across the sea and became the founders of .Methodism in New York, were thus the founders also of ^lethodism in Canada. There had likewise been a class formed in Stamford, by Major Neal, in 1790. But in strict propriety, the real commencement of the Methodist Church in this Province was with the organization of these classes, on the Kingston Circuit. At the New York Conference of 179-, held in Albany, Losee reported 1G5 members. Losee was appointed to form another circuit on the north of the St. Lawrence, between Kingston and Cornwall. The nanie of this new circuit was Oswetjotcliie, called after a stream which emptied its waters into the St. Lawrence at Ogdens- burg, oi)posite Augusta. Darius Dunham, an ordained minister, was appointed to the charge already organized, now called the Cataragui Circuit, and the first quarterly meeting was held on September ir)th, 1792, in Mr. Parrot's barn, first co!icession of Ernestown. Freeborn Garrettson, the presiding elder, was not present, but the preacher in charge took his place; and following the business meeting on Saturday afternoon, on Sabbath morning was held a love-feast and the sacrament of the Lord's Supper, when, for the first time, the little liock in the Canadian 5 r<^ I t m %\ i :!! 58 Centennial of Canadian Methodism. \\ if IW it' H'^ vx w. t* wilderness received the broken bread and the cup of tlie conununion from the hands of a Methodist preacher. Dun- ham was a fearh'ss, faithful preacher of the Gospel, and these two heroic men entered upon their work with un- wearied zeal and activity. The moral destitution of the country was great, for in the two Provinces there were only seven or eight ordained ministers to care for the entire Protestant poj)Uiation. These Gospel rangers had to enduie unspeakn)>le hardships, traversing forests, crossing streams and rivers, making their way over almost impassable road^^, while as to worldly support, they asked only to subsist; but Uiey itinerated in the power of tlie Spirit, and at the end of the year Dunlwua returned a meml-ership of iot), and IiOsc(! ninety nsembers, where there hfd been none. Others came to break ground — James Coleman, Sylvanus Keeler and Elijah Woolsey, inured to toil and privation, consecrated and anointed for the work ; Samuel and Michaei Coat'>, two brothers, j!»raceful in person and im|)ressive in speech ; and Jiezekiah 0. Woost<'r, a man of mighty faith and prayer, fnnn whom tin* unction never departed, whose llaming zeal consumed him, who near the end of his triumphant ministry, unable to speak above a whisper, yet with illumined coun- tenance, would so preach with tlie Holy Ghost sent down from heaven, that sinn<'rs trembled and fell under his words like men slain upon a battlefield. These pioneer preachers Ixflonged to the Av/t/' fondus, and so greatly were their labours owned, that when tiiis nineteenth century dawned, nearly 1,000 menjbcrs had been added to the Church in (.'anada. In 1801 ten preachers were appointed to the Canada District. Th(» first Methodist cliurch erected in the Nia;:ara country was built this year near St. J)avid's. It was known as the Warner Meeting House, and a njiglity work was carried on u] JJan* and ( on a and i the n ing f, their spiriti a iKMv ceeded stron<' M(;tho, face b.i wart fc ill Can Hay of iinporta of mas energy c ^f'Jy-den itinerant the rcac them ; t liiid a fri their Su allowance received iiiKi (Iran] the glor^ orgain/inji t'liurches. 1' upper and Loi^'er Canada. 59 on under the preaching of Josepli Sawyer. In 1802, Nathan Bangs, a young man destined to be heartl from in the history and development of Metliodism on tliis continent, laboured on a circuit extending from the village of Kingston to York; and in 1804 he obtained an appointment as missionary to the new settlements on the Kiver Thames, his work extend- ing from London to Detroit. Tlu^ people were loose in their morals and ilagrant in their lives, totally ignorant of spiritual things, yet ready to receive the Gospel, and thus a new field was explored and mapped out. He was suc- ceeded by another young preacher, who l)toame one of the strongest, sturdiest and most trusted leaders of Canadian ]M(!thodism. This generation of Methodists cannot turn its face backward without seeing on the tar horizon tlie stal- wart form of William Case, the " Father of Indian Missions" in Canada. About th»^ same time there laboured on the IJay of Quinte Circuit another preacher destined to play an important part in the history of the Ciiurch — Henry 11} an, of massive form, swarthy complc^xion, and indomitable energy of character. These were days of heroic sacrifice and .sely-denying labours on the part of this noble army of itinerants. Into the lonesome, solemn forest they pluuf^ed, the read being only " blazed," or nuirked trees to guide them ; they had often to sleep in the woods, or should they find a friendly settler, tlieir l)ed would b«» a bundle of straw, their .«iupper and bn'akfast " musli and milk." Th«'ir allowance was the most meagre pittance, and tlu'y often received nothing by way of support except what they ate and drank. l*ut they toiled on for the w. Ifare <^f men and the glory of (lod, pn-acliini; in scattered srtlleinenta, organizing cla.sses, and laying the toundutions <;f future churchcB. James Coleman, wiiile passing up the Mohawk j I i ()0 Centennial of Canadian Methodism. rr i< IS* ;i '-. 1 M river en route to Canada, was oMij^ed to go on shore fifteen nights in succession and kindle a tire to k('(>p oil' the wild beasts ; aud his food failing him, he was reduced to a cracker per day. The veneraV)le Case, in his jubilee sermon preached in London, Canada, 1855, reviewing his perils and labours, says, " Five times have I been laid low by fevers ; once I was shipwrecked on Lake Ontario ; five times have I been through the ice with my horse, on bays, rivi rs and lakes of Canada." Yet with zeal and self-sacritice, with energy and devotion, these heroic founders of enipire pursued tlieir way, though there awaited then) certain poverty, cruel privations, and often an early death. They weie men whose h(»artsCiod had touched. They had not the learning of the schools, but were endowed with wisdom, gifts and graces necessary for the work of saving men. 'I'hey had great elevation of character, and they derived their patent of nol)ility, as well as their call, din*ct from the Almighty. They were filled with a consuming passion for their country's good and for the souls of men ; and like Stanley, who has just plucked th<^ heart out of the mystt;ry of the Dark Continent, or lik<^ Loyola, whose (laming devotion to th»^ Crucifix encompassed i\w world, thes<* devoted servants of , Jesus Christ were glad to sacrilice eaithly (comforts, preach the (iOK|)e] to the poor and destitute, and bt; hurried to heaven that others might oi»tain like " precious faith.'* \\\ IS 10, Henry Kyan is presiding elder of the Upper Cumida District, with a membership ot 2,G0.'^, and .losepli Samson, presiding elder of the Lower Canada Disti'ict, with a membei'ship of 11).'^. Tim following year the veneralile lli-shop Asbury, who had appointed tiie first and oidy missionari* s to Canada, made his first visit to the country, crossing the St. Lawrence upper and Loiver Canada. 61 at St. Regis, opposite CornMall, and pieacliing at all the principal places as he pas^d along until he reached Kingston, from which point lu' crossed over to Sackctt's Harbour on his way to the Genesee Conference. Of the people, he says .n his Journal, "My soul was much united to them.' He confesses to tlu^ "strange feelings which came over him as he was crossing the line." He had left his native land in 1771, and when the war of the Revolution broke out had remained faithful to the infant cause which lir had establish«'d. Refusing to abjure allegiance to the Crown of Great Bi . ;n and take an oatli of fealty to the State authorities, lu- had often to find an asylum from the pursuit of his enemi<'s; yet at night he would go from house to house and from place to place to comfort the members of his flock, and enforce the saving truths of the Gospel. Patiently, bravely, licroically he had stood his ground to save the Church, and had the satisfaction of find- ing at the close of the war in 17)^3 that, while other denomi- nations had decreased, Methodism had increased nearly live- fold ; the little band of less than 3,000 having grown to nearly 14,000. He had lived to see the I'nited States become a mighty Republic, and the Church whose atl'airs he had been called to sujierintend grow to the thronging multitude of 17."),000 8ouls. Ni> he was again under the old flag in a province of the Mother Country, to visit a people who have b( en raised up by his own pons in the Gospel. No wonder that he had "such new feelings in Canada." lieside all this, tlu'i* was doubtless thrown over his saintly spirit the shadow of another conflict Utween tlie United States and the paternal Government froni which he hajn 1 i ''B 1, }M 1 ii a:- m li it was taking tho load of all other churches in the mission- ary movement. It was entering all lands. Why, then should it not enter Canada, a colony of Great Britain, especially when the services of the English preachers were more congenial to the views and feelings of many of the Methodist people there 1 Thus, more and more of the Eng- glish missionaries were being sent into ITpper as well as Lower Canada. But why should the American Church withdraw ? They had first occupied the field, and the whole country belonged Methodistically to them. Why should they be under any restraint from political relations, for may not missionaries of the Gospel go to any land ? Was not British Methodism doing its work among all nations ? The nussion house instructions with Jabez Bunting, Richard Watson and Joseph Taylor, as General Secretaries, were of the most atnicable nature. The missionarie-J were not to invade the societies raised up by the preachers appointed by the American Conferencr, and were not to continue their labours in any station previously occupied by the American brethren, except where the population was so large, or so scattered, that a very considerable portion of them must be neglected. Nevertheless, th« missionaries were placed in an attitude of aggression, and were looked upon as supplanters who had come to divide, if not to take away, the inheritance of their brethren. Contentions and divisions were arising on all sides; and so the Rev. John Emory was appointed delegat»'( to the British Conference, to adjust the difliculties concerning ('anada, and to request a regular interchange of representatives from one Conferences to another. The Eng- lish Conference embraced with pleasure '' the opportunity of recognizing the great principle that the Wesleyan Metho- dists are one body in every part of the world," and acceded upper and Lower Canada. 67 to tlie suggestion that the American hrethren should have the occupation of Tpper Canada, and the British mission- aries that of Lower Canada. At this time, when the " mis- sionary war " closed, the English Conference had nine stations, with 744 members, wliile the Lower Canada District of the Genesee Conference, which extended from Duthn's Creek eastward to Quebec, numbered 3,000 members. Previous to this compact, and during the vigorous super- intendency of the Rev. 11. L. Lusher in the year 1819, the first Missionary Society auxiliary to the parent Society in London was organized in Montreal, and a meeting of great interest, the first of the kind in Canada, held. The church had now become too small for the wants of the congregation, and through the energy and liberality of a few laymen, chief among them Mr. John Torrance and ^Fr. Daniel Fisher, grandson of the Philip Embury who introduced Methodism into America, the first St. James' Street Church was built, at a cost of £4,r)r)0, with a seating capacity of 1,200. This time-honoured sanctuary gave place, in 184;"), to a still more stately edifice, frugrant with still more hallowed associations, a church inseparably linked with the history of Methodism in the commercial metropolis of Canada — the rallying place of Protestantism in Quebec — and now succeeded by a church the stateliest in Methodism, and one of the most splendid ecclesiastical edifices in the Protestant world. ^In 1823, the appointments of the English Conference were ten missionaries, with 1,081 members. These days of the J}istrict Meeting in Lower Canada were days of small and feeble tilings, but they were fruitful in results. The men who toih^d and sacrificed were heroes, who sowed the se«'(ls for future harvests and laid th<» foundation-stones for future buildings. Space will not permit us to trace the bright li It-- !| i .J i 68 Centennial of Canadian MctJiodism. ?if*iv ..■( ■■<'-, m ministorial succession : llicliard Williams, of sterling integ rity and useful ministry ; John Hick, attractive and per- suasive ; James Knowlan, connnaiidingand powerful ; James iiooth, indefatigable, popular and successful ; jMatthew Lang, of fervent piety and thorough elHciency, the fruits of whose earnest and useful ministry remain unto this day ; the two brothers, Richard and Henry Pope, nu?n in the prime of a vigorous manhood and eminently (jualiHed for the work in which they were engaged ; Joseph Stinson, then young, eloquent and unboundedly popular ; Robert Alder, dignified and elocpient ; William S(piire, of fervent piety, consecrated intellect and exalted reputation, whose char- acter, labours and usefulness are held in lasting remem- brance; Thomas Turner, tall and intellectual in appear- ance and eminent in piety; William i5urt, * -uly devoted to God and highly esteemed; John Harr\, a polished shaft ; and John P. Ifetherington, graceful and cultured, a well-poised, well-rounded workman in the Master's vineyard. The Held was trying, but thelabourerswere loyal, conscientious and heaven-anointed, and the causes which gave Methodism its early success in Lower Canada were the same as those which first carried the (lospel to Antioch, to Corinth and to Rome. In 1832, the Missionary Committee in liondon resolved to send missionaries again to Upper Canada, and when the union between the Wesleyan Church in (Ireat Britain and Upper Canadian Methodism was effected in the following year, the President of the Upper Conference became Chair- man of the Lower Canada District. This gave new impulse and inspiration to the work. Other faithful ministers were added to the ranks r Matthew Richey, eminent and elo- (juent ; William M. llarvard, graceful in manner and .saintly in character, who was with Dr. Coke when his body was 'il upper and Loiccr Canada. 60 comiiiittcd to the Indian Ocean, till "the sea gives up its dead ;" Cliarlcs Churchill, Kdiimnd liotterill, John nor- land, James Urock, Thomas Campbell, Charles l)e Wolfe, John Jenkins, George 11. Davis, John Armstrong, John and George Douglas, Henry Fiantoji, and oth'-rs, labounnl extensively and usefully ; the majority of whom were brought ijito a broader liehl by union with the West, which took place in IS 54, wluu the Hastern District Meet- ing, with twenty ministers and a membership of about 4,000, became incorpoi-ated ecclesiastically with the Upper (*iinada Conference. Thenceforth the river of Wesh'yan Methodism flows on in one unl)roken current until another vital change takes place in the Methodist Union of 1871. WKSLKVAN MKTHDDISM IN Ul'rKU TAVADA I'UO.M ISL") TO 1828, WIIKN' THE (\\NA1)A CUXFKItKXCK BKCAMK INDKFKNDKNT. When the war closed and the societies began to resume their former strength, th(? preaolu^rs appointed by the American Conference found thenMI(dves in a position of extreme delicacy. They acted, however, with peculiar cir- cumspection, and when, in 18 i", the Genesee Confrrence was held at Elizabethtown. IJishop George pr<;siding, a revival broke out during the tive-days' session, and so profound was the spiritual impression made upon the public mind that the increase of members during the year was alK)ut 1,4(H). [n 1818, the first Methodist servicie was held in Vi.rk, now Toronto, David Gulp Ixing appointed to the circuit. A society was organized aiid a meeting house erected. That little wooden, barn-like struetun;, some forty feet 8(|uai e, on the south side of King Street, was the forerunner of the thirty tasteful and lommodions Mt'thodist churches which now adorn tie' stattsly capital of ( )ntario. York was th«*n he seat of government, although only a little village of 1,200 , . i .-■ W t I' 1 « - -.i; 1 ll i m 70 Centennial of Canadian Methodism. u 1! \i W^ w R;''i \\ : 1 ' or 1,400 inhabitants, but it soon became a Methodist centre both for the Canadian Church and the Wesleyan missionaries. In 1819, the Missionary and Bible Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church in America was organized, and auxiliaries wen; formed in Canada and substantial support given to tiie toilers in the new settl<;ments. But tiie enemies of Metho- dism and of religious freedom were ready to make a sinister use of the fact that its teachers were citizens of a foreign nation, and so, to remove tiiese political objections, the General Conference of 1820 gave authority to establisii an Annual Conference in Canada by and with the advice and consent of the Cenesee Conference. The (lenesee Annual Conference met this year on the Canadian side of the Niagara, on the famous battle-ground of Lundy's Lane ; and on Sunday, the little meetinghouse being too small to accom- modate the congregation assembled, they repaired to the grove and worshipped God on the very spot where six years before the two contending armies had engaged in deadly strife. Of the 122 ministers and preachers receiving appoint- ments, twenty-eight had their tields of labour in the Province. The presiding elders of tin; two Canadian districts were Henry Ryan and William Case, and according to the esti- mate of these brethren, who were thorougiily acquainted with the religious condition of the Province, there were then about 211 public religious teachers in Upper Canada, and of these, including local preachers and exhorters, 145 were Methodists. Tiie British missionaries were now withdrawn from Upper Canada, and the societies of Lower Canada placed under the pastoral care of the English Wesleyans. There was pea^e in the Methodist household, but no numer- ical progress ; r»deed, at the Conference of 1821, a decrease of 659 was reported. This is accounted for because of the foreign jurisdiction of originally organized Methodism. The upper and Lozvcr Canada. 71 ineniorv <»f the rcccMit Htru<'<'le rankled in the (.'iinaclian miiid. Miinv settlers coMiin«' from the old land hud ji stroni; repugnance to anything from the United States, and this feelinij was encouraged l)y the Canadian authorities. Wiien, therefore, according to tiie amicahle arrangement made Ix'tween the two Connexions, tiie W'esleyan missionai'ies withdrew, many families refused to Join the American branch, and either united with no ciiurch whatever or Joined other communions and l)ecame lost to Methodism. Nor were these prejudices conlined to tiie \Vesle\ ans, for in making the transfer in Lower Canada some memlx.'rs could not be persuaded to unite with the IJritish section. In Montreal the Americati proclivities of some led them to combine with others and give a call to an American Presby- terian minister, thus forming the nucleus of the strong Aujerican Presbyterian Church of that city. To allay all irritation and remove thonference. More and more the civil disabilities imposed by an intolerant Adminis- tration were being felt. A J3ill was introduced to alljw ISfethodist ministers to solemni/e matrimony in Upper Canada, but though it passed tin; Assembly, it was rejected by tlie Legislative Council. Why was this manifest ri^ht denied to the largest body of Christians in the Province ? There is but one answer. Li 1822, the great work of Indian evangelization began. The devout Alvin Torry, labouring on the Grand River, was obliged to pass an Indian r'hun;h, cloar-inindecl and accurate, with a sini,'nlarly cahn and well-halanced judgment. The presiding elder of the remaining district, the Augusta, was Piiihinder Smith, bright, active and successful. Labouring among tl)e Indians were Hdmund Stoney, Joseph Messmore, William Smith, Jolm Beatty, Peter Jones and William Case, who din^cted the work, and who, during liis long and («ventfal life, did far more for Jndian evangelization than an Kliiot or a I'rainerd. Among the fatliers were Samuel Helton, Josej»h (Jatciiell, James Wilson and J>avid You- mans. In the energy of mid-life were Janies llichardson, William Cjlrilhs, iVFatthew Whiting, CJeorge Sovereign, John 11. Huston, (leorge Ferguson, diminutive in body but great in spirit, and full of divine unction ; Hobert Corson, Hamil- ton Higgar, and David Wright, handsome and gifted ; J. C. Davidson, Ezra Healy, George Bisstdl, Charles Wood, Jacob and (reorge Poole, Cyrus A. Allison, William 11. Williams, and Thomas Madden, courtly, methodical and convincing; John ]Uack, witty, genial and greatly beloved ; Kranklin Metcalfe, fascinating and eloquent, already entered upon his brilliant career. Aniong the young men were Alvah Adams, the portly (»eorge Parr, Asahel Ilurlburt, th«» first of four brothers, Thomas, Sylvester and J esse, who were to render important service to the Church ; John S. Atwood, Anson (Ireen, ar(b'nt and full of enthusiasm, giving signs of great promise ; I'^iphraim Kvans, of logical acumen, biminous speecii and pulpit popularity ; and llichard Jones, direct, forcible, practical, full of that tire and fervour which wwre to blaze for Uiore than threescore vears on the altar of tln^ (,'hurch. Andrew Prindle had become too corpulent and unwieldy of body for the itinerant work. Wyatt Chand)erlayne was T I 76 Centennial of Canadian Methodism. Til "I p., f supor.'innuated ; so also was James Jackson, but he espoused tlie cause of Mr. Ryan so warmly and actively, that the mov(!ment became known as the Uyan-Jackson division. Thcfollowing year the Christian Guardian was established, , and Egerton II yerson elected editor. The "Clergy Reserves" agitation was then in full blast. These CMergy Reserves consisted of one-seventh of all the surveyed lands of Upper Canada, which had been set apart by the Constitutional Act of 1791 for the support and maintenance of a " Protestant clergy." The Church of England in the colonies, wliich had the powerful countenance of otHcial favour, now claimed that the " Protestant clergy " were the clergy of that Church alone, and in addition to these lands large V'nglish Parlia- mentary grants wen^ applied for, and a large land-endow- ment granted for a University, which was to be the monopoly of the Church of England. The noxious system involved not mendy the support of the Church of England as the State Church in Canada, but the extermination of the otiier Protestant bodies, particiilarly the Methoilist Church. In July, iHSf), the V^enerable Archdeacon of York, the late Right Reverend Dr. Htrachan, had delivered a sermon on the death of tin; Bishop of Quebec, Rev. Dr. Mountain, in which he not only defended Church i'^stablishments, but assailed the other denominations, particularly misrepresent ing the motives and conduct of the Methodist preatheri* in the Province. This sermon was not printed until the following year, and as .soon as it appeared, Egerton Ryer.son, then only twenty-three y«ars of age, and just entered the ministry, })ublished an indignant and elo<|uent reply, in which he did not hesitate to pronoinice Dr. Straehan's statements to be "ungenerous, unfounded and false." This Review produced a profound sensation, it was the first shot fired •j'i If upper and Lower Canada. 77 against the f xclusivo claiin.s < f a doniiiiant Churclj, and the battle ceased not until the j(juality of all relij^dous denomi- nations hefoH' the law was estahlished, and the tonstitutional rif the |)eople. If thei?- intluencn and instructions have the tendency mentioned, the ellects hy this tinn; must he manifest ; yet no one douhts that the Afethodists are as loyal as any of His Majesty's sul»j»'cts. AUil the very fact that while their cler^^ymen ai'e dcpt'ndcnt for their stipport upon the voluntary contriWutions of their people, th<; numher of their mendxTs has increased so as to he now, in the opinion of almost all the witnesses, le belief of its truths and enjoyment of its hlessinj^s. In this chan^je the Methodists have been chietly instrumental. They have manifested the most benevoh-nt /.eal in accomplishin;; it ; they have smt missionarii'S and established srh', and they are still lab )urin«^ amoni,' th»'m with tlie >ame disinti-r- ested spirit and the same surprisiu'^ encouragement and success. " It 'I'lie Report was adopted by the House, as also an Address to the King founded on the report, prayini; that the proceeds of the Clergy lieserves should be placed at the dis- posal of the Province, for the purposes of g«Mieral education and national improveujent ; and that the chart r of King's College be cancelled, for one granted on more liberal princi- ples. The Legislative Council opposed ami .sought to eoun teract the proceetlings of the Legislative Assembly. The agitation continued for twenty-five years. In 1840, the Church of Kngland was deprived of an e.\- clusive interest in the C-'lergy Ileserv«^s ; but not till 1H.")4 was th(^ controversy settled, when the Canadian Legislature, authori7x>d by Imperial Parliament, passed an Act by which tlie Clergy Reserves weni fimilly alienated fi-om religious to secular purposes. In this long struggle othi'r Protestant (le!iominations took an important part ; but the Methodist Church was the precursor, the first, constant and most j-tlec- tive promoter of civil and religious liberty and e(juab!ty for the (Mitire countrv. Conspicuous above all <»th(^r leaders of the public mind was Dr. Ilyerson, who gave to this cause the energy of liis ^li , so Ceiitcufiiai of Caiiadinu Methodisin. f* ■* m\-, raroly P(jualled powers, and placed his native land under an obi i;[»ation which can never be too fully acknowledged. This was the op\i» maipinm of his life, although ho also planned and perfected for Ontario a national system of education which is unsurpassed, if, indeed, it is efpialled by any otluT l*ublic School system in the world. Honour, all honour to tlio name of Egerton Ryerson. We have been borne along the stroam of Methodist his- tory down to the year IS.'K), wIhmi seven preaclwrs were received on trial, and fifty seven wen^ appointed to circuits ajid missions. The total memliership is rj,r)(l;{, the increase dniliig the year being 1,*-Mr». At tliis Conference the establishment of a Semimiry of learning was decided upon. Knergetic action was also taken on 'remperance, Sabbath- schools and Missions, ('specially the Indian Department, which now nnmlu'red a membership of 1,200, and among its missionaries were such well-known names as John Sunday, David Sawyer and James Kvans. In IH.'U, the Oonferencje was held for the first time in York, and so profoundly impres.sed was the Church with the need of higher education, tliat among th(^ means taken to assist in tiie erection of the lIppiM* (Janada Acastion, invited the London Wesley an ^[issionary Society to send missionaries into l^ppcr Canada, ofU'rini,' the sum of .£1,000 sterling per annum for the support of such missions. Th«'re was also the constant immigration of Methodist families from the Old Countiy, who were appealing to the Missionary Committee for luip. These things induced the Secretaries of tlui Mission House to inform the l*r<'sid('nt of the Canadian Conf^'n-nci^ that tlM-y were about to re-enter Upper (Janada. fraternal rela- tions were lik«'ly to be again disturbed. Rival chin li altars wer(! again to Ik; set up. Tiie very thought of this gave pain to the true lovers of /jor), and when tin- Uev. Ilobert Aider, ac(!or»ipanied by three other Wesleyan minis- ters, arrived in Toronto, a co/isidfatiori was held, an/l pro- posals for conserving tlie penen ami unity of the (Inn eh were made. The Missionary Seer* Uivy^ Dr. Alder, remained in Canada until the nu'cting of the Conference, wliich was held in llallowell, now Picton, on tlm iSth August, 1M.'J2, when articles of union were adopted. The r»ritish Confer- ence th(i following year acceded to th<( arrangement, and thus the union with the Parent body was accomplished. Tlui discipline, economy and form of church government of the Wesleyan Methodists in Kngland were adoptcMl, and the Canadian Church, with a membership of IG.UUO, with seventy itinerant preachers and eighty churches; wa.-s nwrged into tlie original body. This union, which had bern accom- plished without any sacrilice of conscience or of prim'iple, and was to alt'ord a practical illustration of the truth that th(^ W<'sleyan .Methodists are on(; in every part of the world, was attended with son* tioubles. |{y the articles of union, the {'Episcopate was not only changed, but the ordination ul* tJ 82 Centennial of Cauadiau MetJiodisui. lo«;al pn^acliers was discontinued, wliilo I)i.strict Conferenct-s j;ave way to the Local Prcadwrs' Meeting on each circuit. This chanf^e «(ave uinl)rai,'e to several local preachers, who hoj^'an to exert a disturhing influence. In the early months of IS.'Jl «,'atherin','K were held, and resolutions adopted condemning the " Local Preachers' Resolutions " of the Con- ference, and expressing disapproval of the union. Three such meetings were held Ix-fore tin; Conference of 1S34. After th )f tlu^ Wesh ('onf« at Ki [er the session ot tlu^ Wesieyan i. onierence at King- ston, ther(i met, on the I'.'Kh June, IST*!, at Cummers' meeting-house, nine miles north of Toronto, thret; elders, one deacon and several local preachers. This was prelimi- nary to the calling of what was denominated aCeneral Con- ference of Klders, which assembled in Belleville on February 1 0th, IS.'i;"), when the Rev. John Reynolds, a located preacher, wa^j elected General Superintendent. This Con- ference met again in June, 1S.•^'), when John Reynolds was consecrated iiishop, and the Misthodist Episcopal Church in C'anada fairly launched. The new body assumed the title, di.sciplin(^ and claim of the Old Church; a number of local proiichers offered themselves for the travt^lling connexion, and at the end of one year there were no less than twenty- one preacln;rs on circuits, and a membership of 1,'J Hi. In 183G came judicial trials to obtain jtossession of pro- perty originally deeded to the ^Methodist Episcopal Church, and the litigations t'xtended over two years, when the courts confirmed the title of the Wesleyan Methodist Church to the ownership of the church property, as l)eing the true representative and successor of the original Methodist Church in Canada. ILippily these are dead issues now, but those were days when evil was in the air, when the spirit of dissension was rife, when political and religious 1'^ Vf>pcr auii l.oiccr CntuKhi. sn pn*jiuliops j»rf»vaiK"l, juid Afothodisin was scattered and brokoii into contend ini; factions. Internal dissfiision also pn'vailon was still for'/ini^ and hurlin;.^ his hot tliundcrholts ai,'ainst Church-of Knt;land- supremacyand-monopoly in the I'rovinte, while the authori- ties of the Mission House se«'n>ed to he on the side of the Church and State party. ( Hlences imieased. 'Jiie whole .Methodist household was in tumult and schism, "without were ti«^htin«^s, within were fears." The union, instead of hein*; an instrumePit j,'iving forth harmonious music was lik»' "sweet bells jan;;led, out of tune and harsh." There was direct conflict between the repn sentatives of the British Conference in this country, and the leaders of the Canadian (Miurch, who were stron<,dy committed to the public (piostion of the day. Tremendous issues were trem- bling in the scale. No fact wis written more plainly on the patje of colonial history than the fact that a state chunh was unacceptable to the people. A<,'ainst the effort of the Hiyh Church olri»arcliy and tho Kxecutive to forcie to both parties, and were adopted with great unanimity of sentiment. The chair of the Canadian Conference was yielded to Dr. Alder, the appointee of the British Conference, and the members of the Mission- ary District that were to remaia in the Province were intro- duced and heartily welcomed The estrangement of years was happily ended, and mutual congratulations, thanksgiving and prayer followed. Rev. Enoch Wood, from New Bruiswick, who had accompanied Dr. Alder on his pacific mission, and by his wisdom and weight of cliaracter had greatly helped to promote unity and harmony, became Superintendent of Missions and the representative of British Conference interests in that department. Rev. Matthew Richey was appointed co-delegate or Vice-President, and was thus acting President throughout the year. The united membership numbered nearly 25,000. The union was one of lasting harmony, and the Church began to develop rapidly in mis- sionary enterprise, church building, educational and spiritual activity ; every department of connexional work seemed to prosper. In 1854, Wesleyan Methodism was still further consoli- dated by the amalgamation of the Eastern District Meeting with the Canada Conference. At the Belleville Conference of that year a delegation came from Eastern Canada with proi)Osals for amalgamation, sustained by the hearty concur- rence of t he British Conference. The arrangement was carried into immediate operation, and the two sections of Wesleyan Methodism in Upper and Lower Canada now united gave a total membership of 3(^,333, with a ministerial strength of nearly 200. The two streams of Wesleyan Methodism in upper and Loivcr Canada. S7 Canada, one of which had steadily preserved its connection with the parei I Wesleyan Church, the other liaving \i?>fons ct origo in the Church which Mr. Wesley organized on this continent, had flowed along with American Metliodisni till 1828, then became distinct and separate, then united with British Methodism, again independent, once more reunited with English Wesleyanism, now coalesce and flow together — one river of salvation with well-defined and widening hanks, calm waters and deepening current, and destined to flow on through two decades, when other kindred streams uniting, it should roll along, its affluent waters widening with the nation's history, and fertilizing a still broader area. Our diminishing space will not allow more than a passing reference to these remaining twenty years of Canadian Wesleyan history, when the Church had rest and entered upon an era of unprecedented prosperity. The truth of God as proclaimed by the ^[ethodist itinerants no longer made its way under many and heavy disadvantages ; and the peculiarities of Wesleyan usages, doctrine and polity were firmly maintained. The standard of personal and family piety was raised to a higher level. All the resources of Church strength were actively developed. Men rich in gifts and cvdture and " full of the Holy Ghost and faith " entered the ministry, and under their zealous labours '* much people were added unto the Lord." From year to year the increase of church-membership was continuous. A richer baptism of the spirit of holiness and of active power lested alike upon pastors and peojile. Sabbath-.schools increased in numbers and greatly improved in efficiency. The educational facilities of the Church wen; vastly enlarged. The honour of leading the way in university work in Upper Canada belongs to the Methodist Church; for in 1 Jlil 88 Centennial of Canadian MetJiodisni. i* Piu; i ;«;.: October, 1841, with Egerton Ryerson, D.D., as Principal, Victoria College, before Upper Canada Academy, began its university career. In September, 1850, Rev. S. S. Nelles, M.A., a scholar of rare genius, philosophic acumen, and l)rilliant eloquence, was called to preside over the destinies of the denominational University. He gave himself un- sparingly to the work, and made a wider and deeper impres- sion iipon the Church than any other man in favour of higlier education. The spirit of the Methodist people was quickened in the direction of higher learning, a circle of ladies' colleges established, as well as another Tlieological College in Montreal, in aflfiliation with Victoria, under the Principalship of George Douglas, LL.D., whose peerless gifts as a preacher and rich mental endowments eminently fitted him as an inspiring teacher and head of a "School of the Prophets." Tlie Christian Guardian continued to exert its educating, reforming, elevating influence, and the Book and Publishing Establishment to diffuse a healthy and attractive Christian literature. In missionary work the Church continued to " lengthen its coi is and strengthen its stakes," and having crossed a continent to enter wide and inviting fields of labour, it dared to cross an ocean to establish a foreign mission, and preach to the millions of Japan "the unsearch- able riches of Christ." The material prosperity of the Church was manifest in the increasing number of its sanctuaries and the improved character of its church architecture. Thus the growing wealth, numbers and power of Methodism were realized in her educational work, her missions and her churches. While these spiritual forces were shaping society, a new power was also being developed. As the Annual Conference upper and Loiver Canada. 89 grew to embrace a larger care and a wider range of topics, the need of laymen in the highest councils of the Church began to be felt, and honoured and trusted lay-officials were found on the Educational, Sabbath-school, Tempprance and Church Extension committees. From each district, laymen were appointed to attend these several Conference committees. The sentiment in favour of lay co-operation was growing rapidly, and the Church was ripening for a change in its administration and govern- ment. By the Articles of Union, the English Conference was annually to appoint one of their number as President of the Canadian Conference. These were always men of command- ing gifts and influence, and the Church owed much of its growing prestige and power to their administration and energy, their apostolic zeal and labours, their far-reaching views and sublime consecration to the one work of saving men. Among these must be mentioned James Dixon, wise in council, robust and mighty in speech, whose sermons were incomparable in excellence and power ; Matthew Richey, a Chrysostom in the pulpit, dignified in manner and genial of soul ; Enoch Wood, of ferment piety, sound judgment, tender and powerful in his pulpit ministrations, unwearied in his devotion to the interests of the Church, and reappointed to the presidential office for seven suc- cessive years by unanimous request of his brethren ; Joseph Stinson, wise in administration, of fine presence, attractive speech and broad culture, for four years occupy- ing the chair of Conference ; W. L. Thornton, whose saintly character, thorough culture, and spirit-baptized ser- mons and addresses can never be forgotten ; and William Morley Punshon, whose extraordinary gifts were for five 7 " ■ ■'"■ %'' » I ' I I !■ % ji ;*, ;!i I Centennial of Canadian Mcthodisui. M 1' II years devoted to the Church in Canada, whose transcendent eloquence not only elevated the tone of the entire Canadian pulpit, but whose influential character, executive ability, marvellous energy and enthusiasm promoted every depart- ment of church work, particularly the educational, the missionary and the church extension. To his interest and exertions was largely due the erection of the Metropolitan Church in the city of Toronto, the building of which gave such an impetus to church improvement throughout the cities, towns and country places of Canada. On four occasions the Conference nominated for the chair, honoured and beloved brethren among themselves ; in 1862, Anson Green, who had rendered illustrious S(!rvice to Cana- dian Methodism ; in 1865, Richard Jones, who fultilled a long and noble ministry ; in 1867, James Elliott, genuine in his religious life, and an exceptionally gifted preacher ; and in 1873 and 1874, Samuel D. Rice, of vigorous and well-furnished intellect, a born administrator, and who dis- charged the duties of the office with pre-eminent success. The time would fail us to tell of other men whose gifts, graces and services were given to the Church. In the Book and Publishing Department, George R. Sanderson, who had already given five years to editorial work, and after five years' service in this department, returr.ed to the pastor- ate to render eminent service in many a pulpit. Samuel Rose, honoured and beloved, who filled the office of Book Steward for fourteen years. As editors of the Christian Guardian^ James Spencer, wielding his trenchant pen for nine years, followed by Wellington Jeflers, another Jupiter to7ians, who after nine years resigned the editorial chair to Edward Hartley Dewart, the distinguished occupant who has held it to the present time. Among other Confer- upper and Lower Canada. 01 ence leaders and pastors whose names are indissolubly connected with this period of the Church's history are I. B. Aylswortli, M.D., J. E. Betts, W. S. Blackstock. H. F. Bland, John Borland, John Bredin, James Brock, John Carroll, Edwin Clement, Thomas Cosford, Ken- nedy Creighton, George H. Davis, John Douse, Noble F. English, Ephraim Evans, Michael Fawcett, Charles Fish, Robert Fowler, M.D., Charles Freshman, D.D., John Gem- ley, George droodson, James Gray, William S. Griffin, William Hansford, l^phraim B. Har;Der, M.A., Isaac B. Howard, John Hunt, the Hurlburt brothers, John G. Laird, Charles Lavell, M.A., John Learoyd, Joseph W. McCallum, George McDougall, George McRitchie, D. Madden, William Pollard, A. E. Russ, William Scott, John Shaw, James C. Slater, Jolin Wakefield, Richard Whiting, John A. W'illiams, and George Young. Among the young men who had not yet reached the bright summer of their career were William Briggs, Nathaniel Burwash, M. A., George Cochran, Charles S. Eby, B.A., Samuel J. and W^illiam J. Hunter, T, W. Jetirey, Alexander Langford, W\ R. Parker, M. A., John Potts, W. W. Ross, E. B. Ryck- man, M. A., W. I. Shaw, B.A., E. A. Stafford, Alexander Sutherland, Thomas G. Williams, and William H. Withrow, M.A., who was just rising into distinguished p'^oition as a writer and scholar. Some of these were now holding the most conspicuous churches, and giving pledge of still ampler usefulness. Egerton Ryerson, though Chief Superintendent of Education, still exercised great influence in Conference deliberations ; the remaining two members of the powerful triumvirate of that name were in the calm decay of their autumnal season. Other names should be added, did space allow, for in studying the history of the Church, we must 1 \ r- I I iHH| i« J ff W« il l « i i" ■ ' I 1 J Jii 1 ? i ; 92 Centennial of Canadian Methodism. ill study the character and achievements of its leading spirits. The nien of rare qualities, endowments, and successes, are the real events in Church liistory. Ahout the year 1870 Methodist Union became a vital question. The British Provinces had been consolidated into the Dominion of Canada, and Confederation furnished new opportunities for the spread and progress of Methodism and its consolidation into one mighty community throughout the Dominion. In 1871, the Conference appointed a Committee on Union to confer with the other branches of the Metho- dist household. The question of admission of lay delegates to a General Conference, should such a court be organized under any union that might be effected, had been submitted to the Quarterly Meetings ; and out of three hundred and sixty-four Official Boards voting, three hundred and nineteen V ere favourable to lay delegation. This aided greatly the pending negotiations with the Methodist New Connexion Church. In 1874, the Wesleyan Church in Canada united with the Wesleyan Conference of Eastern British America and the Canadian Conference of the Methodist New Con- nexion Church. The united body took the name of " The Methodist Church of Canada." Fifty years had elapsed since the organization of the Canadian Conference, then con- sisting of thirty-one travelling and five superannuated ministers, with a membership of 6,150, and a church pro- perty comprising twenty-one small, wooden places of wor- ship. In those ten decades the Church had exchanged weakness for strf ngth, poverty for wealth, the plain meet- ing-house for the costly temple. The roll of ministers had increased to 718 ; the membership to 7G,455 ; the churches had increased to upwards of 1,800; and the value of the church property from a few thousand dollars to $3,300,000 — upper and Loiver Canada. 93 a record of acliievement which is scarcely surpassed in Chris- tian annals; a praise and a joy to Him whose the Church is, even the only wise God our Saviour, to whom be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen. Note. — Care has been taken to liave every item in this condensed history, extending througli more than three-quarters of a century, as correct as possible, and so the writer has sought tJie best available sources of information. Besides Conference minutes and newspaper files, the following works have been consulted : Cornish's "Cyclojuediaof Methodism," Playter's " History of Arethodism," Carroll's "Case and His CotemiKU'aries," Ryerson's "Canadian Metliodism," WeV)ster's ' History of the Methodist Episcopal Church," Bangs', Stevens' and McTyeire's " History of Methodism." Should any mistakes have occurred, the author will be thankful to have them ixjinted out, as he has now in hand a "History of Methodism in Canada." •'■f if HISTORICAL SKETCH OF Till:: MI-TIIODIST .NEW CONNEXION CHURCH IN CANADA. By the Rev. William Williams, D.D. IT is gratifying to know that no division has ever been created in Methodism by controversies, in relation to Christian doctrine. Under the illuminating and guiding influence of the Spirit of God the learned and logical mind of John Wesley so accurately interpreted the Holy Scrip- tures, so carefully formulated their teachings, and so wisely provided for their perpetuation among the " people called Methodists," that his followers throughout the world remain substantially one in their creed. The fact that questions of polity and administration have been the only occasions of division, has rendered, and will continue to render, the ori3[anio union of the scattered sections of Methodism not only a practicable, but a comparatively easy task. In reach- ing the results in this direction that have already been secured, the work has been promoted by the tendency of all the uniting bodies to adapt themselves to the advancing requirements of an enlightened Christian civilization. The leadings of Divine Providence have been carefully followed. All the sections of Methodism in this country are now united in one strong and prosperous organization. Questions that at one time were considered of great importance have been answered by the logic of events, and points of difference 9G Centennial of Canadian MetJiodisvi. that once were prominent have disappeared. It is to be hoped that what has taken place in Canada may be realized in every land, and that the Great Head of the Church will "gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad." THE METHODIST NEW CONNEXION IN ENGLAND. We must glance for a moment at this conmiunity as one of the most important of the sources which have supplied the stream of our connexional history in Canada. Scarcely had the venerable " Founder of Methodism " passed to his glorious reward, before the ditliculties arose that led to the first organized secession from the parent body. In the year 1797, the Methodist New Connexion was established. We need not dwell upon the causes that led to this result, nor need we express an opinion as to the expediency of the struggle. Such movements frequently get beyond the con- trol of those who set them in motion, their momentum carries them farther than it was intended they should go. Christian charity does not violate historical fidelity when it says that the controversialists on every side of the questions at issue were actuated by pure motives and a desire to reach the best results. The leading actors in those stirring scenes were men of faith and prayer. Whether the results sought for might not have been as surely, though more slowly, reached by patient waiting, without causing division, is a question we need not discuss. The liberal polity that is now almost universal in Methodism declares the later wis- dom of the many, while it vindicates the earlier and far- sighted sagacity of the seceding few. The points that led to this division and the establishment of the Methodist New Connexion were \\% follows : — i i 'in MctJiodist Nczu Connexion ChurcJi. 97 1. "Tlie right of the people to hold their public religious worshi[) at such hours as were most convenient, without their being restricted to the mere intervals of the hours appointed for service in the Established Oiiurch." 2. " The right of the people to receive the ordinances of Baptism and the Lord's Supper from the hands of their own ministers and in their own places of worship." 3. " The right of the people to a representation in the district meetings and in the Annual Conference, and thereby to assist in the government of the community and in the appropriation of its funds." 4. "The right of the Church to have a voice, through its local business meetings, in the reception and expulsion of members, the choice of local otticers, and in the calling of candidates for the ministry." Our spare will not allow us to trace, in detail, the history of the Methodist New Connexion in England, nor would it comport with the design of this paper. Sullice it to say that after it had overcome the ditilculties attendant upon the formation of a new organization, it prospered to such a degree, that in the year 1824 the resources of the growing Church \vere considered sufficiently large to justify the estab- lishment of a mission in Ireland. But at a still t&rlierdate there was a strong conviction in the Conference that Canada should be included in its missionary operations. Mr. William Ridgway, a wealthy and influential layman, visited this country, and was convinced that it had strong claims upon the sympathies of British Christians. Shortly after- wards, one of the ministers, who liad retired from the active work, was so far influenced by his representations as to settle in Canada, that he might preach to the peoplt among whom he came to reside, so far as his strength would permit. In t ;:. II S I 98 Centennial of Canadian MetJiodism. \i I the year 1832, Mr. Joseph Clementson, a local preacher resi- dent in Hanley, Staffordshire, being in Toronto on business, visited some parts of the country, preached to the people, and upon his return to England, represented them as being in manv localities destitute of the ordinances of religion. About the same time very urgent and affecting appeals reached the Mother Country from tho Baptist and Congre- gational Colonial Churches. All these things combined to intensify the conviction in the minds of the home authorities that this country was an inviting field for missionary opera- tions. Accordingly, the Conference of 1837 "determined to open a mission in Canada, and appointed the Rev. John Addymau to enter upon this important and arduous under- taking." Two years later the Rev. Henry O. Crofts was sent out to assist him, and shortly afterward <« a series of circumstances, evidently providential, led to the formation of a union between the Methodist New Connexion in Canada and another branch of the Methodist family, resem- bling them in their polity and administration. This com- munity we must now briefly notice. I THE CANADIAN WESLEYAN METHODIST CHURCH. The history of the Canadian Wesleyan Methodist Church is closely connected with the name of tlie Rev. Henry Ryan. This remarkable man was, according to the most reliable authorities, born in Massachusetts, April 22nd, 1775. His parents were Irisli Roman Catholics. They provided their son with the best education the locality in which they resided could afford. At the age of sixteen he was converted to God. Upon his return to his home his father met him at the door and refu^ od to admit him, unless he returned at once to the faith o his parents. This, the sturdy young Methodist New Connexion CJuirch. 00 convert could not do. He was disowned and turned away. Within two years from that time he became a Methodist preaclier. In the year 1805 he came as a missionary to Canada, was appointed to the Bay of Quinte Circuit, and had for a colleague the no less distinguished William Case. Bishop Hedding, who, when a young man, was also under his superintendency for a year, thus describes him : " He was in that day a very pious man, a man of great love for the cause of Christ, and great zeal in his work as a minister. A man who laboured as if the judgment thunders were to follow each sermon." From other sources we learn that he was a man of fine appearance, great physical strength, dauntless courage, and more than usual decision of character. Though impetuous and impatient of control, he had grwat com- mand of himself. These qualities, combined with his won- derful faculty of influencing the common mind, eminently fitted him to be a leader of men. Such brave and earnest spirits were needed in that day. When war broke out between Great Britain and the United States, this country became the battle-field. The fact that many of the early Methodist missionaries were natives of the country with which we were at war, and received their appointments from a Conference that met in the United States, was taken advantage of to injure the work and imperil the workmen. Every American missionary was ordered to leave Canada. But Henry Ryan, then a presiding elder over the Upper Canada District, remained in this country, rallied his men around him, carried on the work as best he could, and kept the societies from being scattered. The Rev. William Case, writing from Albany, N.Y., stated, from information received in a letter from Canada, " That Mr. Rvan and others were travelling, and doing all they could for God and souls." At 'J' ?: I I iJ " ' 100 Centennial of Canadian MetJiodism. 1. the Genesee Conference that met on July 9th, 1813, *' no preaclier from Canada was present ; but the preachers met together and made their own arrangeuients for the work." The Minutes also say that " no returns were received from Canada of either preachers or members. The state of the country prevented the usual movement of preachers, and no appointments for Canada were made by the Bishop." Canadian Methodism owes much to the intrepid conduct of Elder Ryan and his compeeis during that trying period. But with the return of peace the persecutions to which the Methodists were subjected did not cease. The Genesee Conference continued its control over the Canadian societies, and the cry of disloyalty was raised morp "cudly and per- sistently against them. Weary of this strue, doubting the possibility of silencing these accusations while their relations to the Methodism of the United States were so close, and despairing of obtaining the right to hold church property and celebrate matrimony while under the jurisdiction of a foreign religious court, Elder Ryan and others sought for separation and independence. The impetuosity of some leading ministers and the undue resistance of others to a measure that all felt the value and impor;;ance of, compli- cated the situation. Personal elements mingled themselves with the controversy, and created greater divergencies of feeling and action, and the result was the formation of a separate and independent organization which was known as the Canadian Weslcyan Methodist Church. This event took place in the year 1829. As in all similar cases, a large number of ministers and members who sympathized with the views of the leaders of this movement, declined to follow them into a separate community. The polity of the new Church was a liberal and equitable one. It provided for Methodist Xciv Connexion Chiircli. 101 lay representation in all of its courts ; and though the organization was not as complete in its arrangements as it afterwards beco it did effective work for God, and brought prominently before the public mind principles of Church government which are now universally recognized as equitable and fair. The first few years of the history of the young community were far from encouraging. With connexional machinery that required great administrative ability to make it effec tive, with a large amount of popular prejudice to meet and overcome, with material to work with that was as yet crude and untried, without adequate funds to meet the emergencies of tlu^ hour and develop the resources that were at hand, without parsonages f^** the preachers, or places of worship for the people, the strength and endurance of these piont ers in the cause of liberty were severely tried. To increase their difiiculties, before the little Church had been four years in existence, the Rev. Henry Ryan, who had been, humanly speaking, the life and soul of the movement, was called to his reward. He died in great peace at Gainsborough, Upper Canada, at the early age of fifty-eight years. His remains lie in a little cemetery on the mountain, about three miles to the south east of the now celebrated Grimsby Gamp- Ground, where they await the resurrection of the just. The difficulties we have indicated, so severely tried the faith and fortitude of the ministers, that some, despairing of success, retired from the work, while others found in the ministry of sister Churches the support for themselves and families which they could not find in their own. Others, who were compelled by their circumstances to follow secular pursuits through the week, filled their appointments faith- fully every Sabbath. But a devoted few pursued their % W J 102 Centennial of Canadian Methodism. I \-'\. sacHKl calling with undivided attention and untiring energy, .'ind were rewarded by the success that attended their labours. The earliest numerical returns to which we have access are those of 1835. The Church then comprised thirteen circuits, upon which there were twenty-one ministers, forty-two local preachers, and 2,481 members. In 1841, the member- ship, which three years before had sunk to 1,801, rose to 1,915. The Minutes of Conference in those early days gave no returns of connexional property. The resources of the country as well as those of the churches were small and im- perfectly developed, but njany of the advantages we now enjoy had their origin in the fidelity and self-denial of these earnest and devoted men of God. THE UNION OF THE METHODIST NEW CONNEXION WITH THE CANADIAN WESLEVAN METHODISTS. When the Rev. John Addyman was sent to Canada, by the Methodist New Connexion Conference of 1837, he was specially instructed to establish a mission in the Western Province. Though favourable circumstances led him to commence operations in the East, he did not forget the terms of his commission, but as soon as possible he began his researches in Upper Canada. While there, he met with a number of the leading ministers and members of the Canadian Wesleyan Methodist Church, and finding that the principles and polity of the two bodies closely resembled each other, a union between them was proposed. The Canadian Wesleyan Methodist Conference, which met in Cavan, June 9th, 1840, carefully discussed the whole sub- ject. An equitable and satisfactory Basis of Union was adopted, and sent down to the Quarterly Boards, and also laid before the Executive Committee of the Methodist New Methodist New Contiexioi Church. 103 Connexion in England. Tlie address of that Conferonco to the members of the Church contains the followinf; reference to it : — " Having in view the prosperity of tlie Church by estab- lisliing our system more permanently, and extending our labours more widely, we have, during this session of Confer- ence, deliberately considered the proposed union with the Methodist New Connexion ; as appears from the foi-egoing resolutions. We discovered, by a critical investigation of their principles, and by comparing their Discipline with ours, that we need not sacrifice any fundamental principle, nor violate any general rule of our Discipline, in order to effect an union with them ; inasmuch as the economy of their Church is founded on the design of imparting to the societies the sacred privileges of the Gospel by granting the admission of lay representation into every department of the Church. Under these circumstances we have agreed on the terms of union ; leaving it open for your investiga- tion, and also for the consideration of the Executive Com- mittee of the Methodist New Connexion in England." The action of all parties concerned was such as to secure the adoption of the follov.ing resolution by the Canadian Conference of 1841: — " The expressed opinion from the Circuits, on the pro- posed union of the Canadian Wesleyan Methodist Church with the Methodist New Connexion in England being so decidedly favourable, and the articles of union being approved of by the Conference of the Methodist New Connexion, this Conference unanimously resolves, — That the union now be consummated upon the principles laid down in the Minutes of Conference for 1840." The following is the Basis of Union as finally adopted by the uniting bodies : — I r f| I ■111 ;r II; ^1 I 104 Centennial of Canadian Methodism. 1. " That the local preachers now in the Canadian Wes- leyan Methodist Church be entitled to stand in the same relation to the united body, and enjoy the same privileges they now do in the Canadian VVesleyan Church ; and all local preachers hereafter received shall submit to the rules, and graduate according to the regulations of the Methodist New Connexion, and enjoy such privileges as it provides." 2. " That the forms for sacraments, marriages, and ordi- nation of Elders used among the Canadian Wesleyans be retained." 3. "That the Canadian Wesleyan ^lethoilist Circuit preachers be received into the united body according to their various standings in that communitv." 4. "That for the present the name of the united body be the Canadian Weslevan Methodist New Connexion." 5. " That twenty pounds per annum (subject to future alteration, as the case may require) be allowed from the English ^Missionary Fund towards the support of a married, and twelve pounds per annum towards the support of a single, preacher. These suras to form the maximum of allowance, and that it be left to the discretion of the Superintendent of IMissions, with the assistance of the Conference, to apportion the grants, with a due regard to economy and the necessities of each particular case." 6. "That a Paternal and Beneficent Fund be established, for the encouragement of which the INIissionary Society agree to grant the sutn of thirty pounds annually to each Fund, until, in the judgment of the Conference, it shall not be longer necessary." 7. " The Canadian Conference to have the direction of the work in Canada, assisted by the representative of the Methodist New Connexion in England, as the Superinten- (. f Methodist A^ew Connexion CJiurcIi. 105 dent of the Mission, who shall be a member of the Cana- dian Conference, ex officio, and corresponding member of the Annual Committee. It will be the duty of said repre- sentative, or General Superintendent, to see that all engage- ments connected with claims on the Mission Fund are faithfully performed, and to assist the Conference to carry out the benevolent plans contemplated by the union." 8. " That to ensure, so far as prudential means can accomplish the object, a supply of suitable preachers for the wants of the united body, the Wesleyville Institution be established to afford the means of instruction for a limited period. And that in the first instance suitable young men, connected with the religious community in Canada, be selected, or young men recommended from England by the Missionary Committee." 9. " That the stations of the Methodist New Connexion in the eastern part of this Province, formerly called Lower Canada, be united with the Canadian Conference." 10. "As missionary exertions are employed to gather precious souls into the Church of Christ, and extend the Redeemer's kingdom, so the exertions of the English Meth- odist New Connexion Missionary Society will be directed to the establishment of an active, prosperous, and perma- nent distinct community in Canada; that, as this end is attained by the formation of circuits, the introduction of the system, and the missionary stations becoming so many parts of the body, in that proportion the influence of the English Connexion shall cease in its concerns, and the body in Canada shall become a distinct religious community, united only to the brethren in England in Christian love; and in those kind oflices which will always be proper and acceptable." 8 W ■■ It m ■l m 1 w' jl 1 i i' ■f I '■i 106 Centemiial of Canadian Methodism. The union of 1841 was exceedingly beneficial to the united community. It was a fair and honourable arrangement. It involved no fundamental changes on either side. Virtually, the functions of legislation and administration were exercised as freely after the union as before it. The two communi- ties had simply united their energies and resources for the more effective prosecution of the work of God. Provision was also made to some extent for the children of ministers in the active work, by the establishment of the " Paternal Fund," which was maintained as long as the Connexion con- tinued as a separate organization. The "Beneficent Fund," afterwards the " Superannuated Ministers' Fund," provided an allowance for worn-out ministers, their widows and orphaned children. Great improvements were made in thf constitution of this Fund by later legislation, and its effi- ciency was largely increased. The name of the Church was also changed by the Conference of 1864, so as to read, "The Methodist New Connexion Church in Canada." Though the clause referring to the Wesleyville Institution was not carried out in the form originally proposed, a Theological Institute was organized; the Rev. William McChire was appointed Tutor, and an Educational Board elected to co-operate with him. Mr. McCiure filled this important position with great efficiency till his lamented death, and at one time as many as thirty young men, in different stages of their probation, were under his instruction and direction. Though the union of 1841, by providing for the payment of annual grants of money from the English Missionary Fund to the labourers on Canadian missions, and constituting the representative of the English Conference Superinten- dent of those missions, and ex officio member of the Canadian Conference, and corresponding member of its Executive i Methodist A^czi' Conticxiojt C/uirc/i. 107 Committee, necessarily brought tlie Canadian Connexion very largely under the influence of the Methodist New Con- nexion in England, it expressly provided for the ultimate and complete independeme of the Canadian Church, The terms of union declared, that "the exertions of the ICnglish Methodist New Connexion Missionary Society will be directed to the establibhment of an active, prosperous, and permanent distinct community in Canada; that, as this end is attained by the formation of circuits, the introduction of the system, and the missionary stations becoming so many parts of the l^ody, in that proportion the iniluence of the English Connexion shall cease in its concerns, and the body in Canada shall become a distinct religious community, united only to the brethren in England in Christian love, and in those kind offices which will always be proper and accept- able." The student of Canadian church history will see that this important clause must have exerted a great inilu- ence upon the union movf ent of 1874, inasmuch as it provided for the complete emancipation of the Connexion from all outside c ntrol as soon as it ceased to be a mis- sionary church, or became able to sustain its own missions from Canadian resources. Tt is easy to see that a Church that could secure complete control over its own future, by a mere change of financial relations, must be left very largely to its own conclusions as to so important a movement as that of union with the Wesleyan Methodist Church of Canada. 1 I; Hi Ml! < 1 t 1 :\ 4 ' : ! ■ -■ i 1- ' ♦ I { ) : Lllli 108 Centennial of Canadian Methodism. I \\ THE MKTHODIST NEW CONNEXION IN CANADA, FROM THE UNION OF 1841 TO THE UNION OF 1874. In tracing the history of the Connexion from 1841 to 1874, it may V)e proper for us to follow it first along the line of its statistics. In 1842, there were in the active work 20 ministers and preachers and 2,484 members. The first report of contribu- tions to the Mission Fund was made at the Conference of 1844, when they amounted to $773.78. In 1852, there were 50 ministers and preachers and 4,496 members ; contributions to the Mission Fund amounted to $1,988.07. In 1862, tlie returns included 90 eflPective ministers and preachers and 8,001 members ; the contributions to the Mission Fund reached the sum of $5,428.44. In 1872, there were 117 effective ministers and preachers and 8,312 members ; contributions to the Mission Fund $8,352.14. At the time of the union of 1874, the estimated value of church and parsonage property was $288,340. The returns were somewhat unfavourably affected during the years 1873 and 1874, by the unsettled condition of the Connexion during the union agitation, and while the work was being rearranged ; but the declension was much less than there was reason to expect in connection with a movement which, though generally regarded with satisfaction, was not acceptable to all. In tracing the history of the Methodist New Connexion in Canada along the line of its transactions^ many interest- ing and suggestive facts present themselves. At the Con- ference of 1843, a union was formed with the Protestant Methodists of Eastern Canada — a community whose mem- ♦' i' MctJiodist New Connexion Church. 109 bership numbered 550. This accession, with a total numeri- cal increase for the year of 1,576, greatly cheered the Church, and was justly regarded "as a special indication of the smile of Providence upon'the union, and as a pledge of future prosperity." All the preliminary arrangements relating to this union had been com{»leted at Bolton, in Eastern Canada, on May 5th of that year, and a delegate was duly appointed to represent, them at the Conference which ratified it. At the same Conference, the Missionary Society of the Canadian Connexion was organized, and arrangements were made for the holding of aussionary services at all the principal appointments. The results of these services, as reported to the following Conference, were very encouraging, and this society grew through the suc- ceeding years of the history of the Connexion, until in one year the contributions reached nearly $9,000. The Confer- ence of 1843 sent the Rev. James Jackson as a deputation to the missionary meetings of the English Connexion. He travelled during the year throughout the length and breadth of that field, and such were the results of his soul-stirring addresses that the missionary revenue was increased fully one-third. The Conference of 1844 was marked by arrangements which resultr I in the publication of a Connexional organ, called the Christian Messenger. One of the resolutions con- cerning it was, " That all political discussions and contro- versial matter be excluded from it-4 pages," and another, "That every minister on probation write an original article for the Messenger at least every six months," a rule which must have aided the intellectual development of the proba- tioners and given freshness at least to the mental make-up of the paper. I -'I; ;j: 't; I :(' i 110 Centennial of Canadian MetJiodism. The Conference of 1845 was called to part with the RpiV. John Addyman, who, during the previous eight years, had done valuable work in the country. His devoted piety and amiable disposition, joined with great administrative ability, had made his presence in the councils and services of the Connexion a benediction. He had taken a leading part in forming the union of 1841, rind had from the time of the completion of that arrangement represented the English Conference in Canada. His return to England, which the exigencies of the work in that country required, was much regretted ; but an able successor, the Rev. Henry O. Crofts, was appointed in his stead, and the work moved on. The Rev. William McClure was sent into the Canadian work, with the title of Assistant Superintendent of Missions, and from that time aided the brethren with his wise counsels and impressive public utterances. It was not until the year 1849 that the Canadian work was divided into districts, chairmen appointed, and their functions and powers defined . The Toronto, Hamilton, London, Cavan, Johnstown, and Canada East Districts were formed. It was decided that the Chairmen of Districts should be ministers in full connexion, who should reside within the bounds of thfir respective districts, and should be chosen annually by the Stationing Committee; that they should hold two District Meetings in the year, which should consist of an equal number of ministers and laymen, inquire into and report upon the state of the work, give advice in case of difficulties and aid in adjusting them should they be referred to them, and otherwise stimulate to eifort, and pro- n)ote the spirituality of the membership. They were not to preside at the Quarterly Meetings within tlie bounds of their districts, except those of the circuit or station to which they Methodist A^eio Conuexion Church. Ill were appointed, unless by cpecial request of the society and with the concurrence of the superintendent preacher, nor were they allowed to receive any remuneration for their services as chairmen. The Conference of 1851 was marked by the return to England of the Rev. IF. O. Crofts, who for twelve years had been closely connected with tiie work in Canada. He had actively promoted the union of the two bodies in 1840 and 1841 ; tiie Conference had called him to the presidential cli'iir four times, he had fultillt'd the duties of the general superintendency with great zeal, energy and success; his pulpit ministrations were of such a high order as to draw large congregations, and his executive abilities were such as to meet without failure all the demands made upon them. His portly form, sonorous voice, ready quotations of scrip- ture — for h(i was almost a living concordance — his kindly imperiousness of manner, and his ready, racy wit, made his presence in any locality something to be remembered. He soon reached a commanding position in the Connexion in England, after his return, and used his experiences of Cana- dian life with great eti'ect in his missionary ellbrts. A pub- lished volume of his sermons reuiains as a memorial of his Uiinisterial life in London, Canada VVest. The Rev. H. O. Crofts was succeeded in the general superintendency by the Rev. J. H. Robinson, who, by the direction of the Methodist New Connexion Conference in England, removed from SheHit'ld to Canada, He was one of the most able and popular ministers of the English Con- nexion. He had been appointed to some of their best sta- tions, including Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Halifax, Chester,Liver- pooi and Sheffield. He tilled the office of Superintendent of Missions in this country with great ability and acceptance ■i 'A m-- 112 Centennial of Canadian Methodism. \ m m •i =i ■a I during a period of fifteen years, and was elected four times to fill the presidential chair. As the previous connexional organ had become defunct, he established the Evangelical Witness in 1854, of which he remained the editor till 1870. No man ever did more to make the Canadian Connexion a success than he did. He managed its finances with mas- terly skill. The Evangelical Witness in his hands was an instrument of intellectual and moral power. His ready wit, massive facts, and skill in using every passing incident for the promotion of his purpose, gave him great ascendency in the Conference and throughout the Connexion. His ser- mons were inspirations, and he was never more at home in preaching than when among his brethren in the ministry. In 1870, Mr. Robinson was elected by the English Con- ference editor of the Methodist Neio Connexion Magazine, and manager of their publishing interests, a position which he successfully filled during four years, and in 1872 he was, by the votes of his brethren, made the President of the Conference in England. In 1874 he was again appointed to Canada. He accepted the appointment under the impression that a very large minor- ity of the ministers and members of the Canadian Con- nexion would decline to enter into the proposed union, and that it was his duty to co-operate with the Superintendent of Missions, the Hev. Joiin Medicraft, in caring for that minority. He hoon saw that the struggle against the union movement was a hopeless one, and so represented it to the authorities in England. He had been so long and intimately associated with the Connexion in Canada that as soon as he had permission from the English Conference to do so he entered into the union and became a member of the London Conference, in which relation he still remains. s Methodist New Connexion Church. 113 A short time after the close of the Conference of 1851, the Rev. James Jackson passed to his reward, agecl sixty- one years. He had been closely associated with the Rev. Henry Ryan in the orgatiization of the Canadian Wesleyan ?«Iethodist Church, and was in 1835 elected President of the Conference. He also tilled the presidential chair cf the Conference at which the union with the jNlethodist New Connexion was consummated, and again in 1818. He visited the English Connexion as a missionary deputation in 1843. In 1810 he became a supernumerary, and continued in that relation till his death, which took place at his resi- dence, in the county of Norfolk, July 0th, 1851. The "Minute" adopted by the Conference said of him, "Deeply imbued with love to God and love to immortal souls, James Jackson well sustained the character of a Ciiristian mis- sionary." From tlie earliest period of its history the Methodist New Connexion took a decided stand in opposition to all grants from the State to any of the institutions of the church. This policy was adhered to as rigidly by the Cana- dian Conference as by their English brethren. In 1850 a resolution was adopted, appointing a committee to prepare a petition for both Houses of the Legislature, to be signed by the President and Secretary of the Conference, opposing any grants from the State for church purposes, and in favor of the seculnrization of the Clergy Reserves. On the same subject, tlie Canadian Conference of 1854 adopted the following resolution : — "That the que«.tion of the Clergy Reserves being still unset- tled, and the occasion of i)rotracted controversy in the Pro- vince, and there being much misapprehension throughout the entire community as to the position of several of the Christian Ciiurches on the matter, this Conference avails - i. .' * ■ ■ :|l, I J 111 114 Centennial of Canadian Methodism. itself of the opportunity of expressing its decided disappro bation of any division of these funds among the religious bodies; on the contrary, it desires an absolute and entire secularization." This position was reaffirmed in two resolutions passed by the Conference of 1863 : — " That we, as a Conference, cannot but deplore the rec«nt act of our late Government in extending the privileges given to Roman Catholics in the Separate School Bill, thus giving encouragement to the encroachments of (^'atholicism and aiding denominations in securii';^ sei;tarian college endow- ments.'' "That this Conference views with alarm and grief the persistent efforts of several religious sects respectively par- ticipants in the late Clergy Reserve in Canada West, to per- vert the funds of Toronto University from their original and legitimate to a sectarian purpose, and by dividing its endowment, to restrict its usefulness in imparting university advantages to the youths of Canada ; and nioreover, by transferring immunities now a common blessing to rival sects, the advantages are sought to be conferred upon certain separate communities, which belong to the public. We therefore pledge ourselves in every legitimate way to oppose such an act of spoliation upon this institution, wliich we regard as the honour of our Province and the bulwark of its educational institutions." The convictions of the ministers and members of the Methodist New Connexioti upon this subject were as deep and strong as they woi' upon the prohibition of the liquor traffic, slavery, the Sabbath, and other related questions of public interest, upon which resolutions of an unurstakable character were repeatedly placed on record in the Minutes of Conference. In 1866, the period arrived when the Rev. J. H. Robin- son felt it to be his duty to retire from the Superintendency MetJiodist New Co)inexion CJiurcJi. 115 of Missions, after fifteen years of service in that capacity. He continued, however, to serve the Connexion as Editor, Book Steward and Treasurer for four years longer, when he was recalled to England. The Rev. William Cocker, D.D., became the General Superintendent, and fulfilled the duties of that office with general acceptance through a term of six years. His position as representative of the English Con- ference during the progress of tjie union movement, was an extremely embarrassing one, but he performed his important duties w^ith fidelity and ability. He was twice elected to the chair of the Canadian Conference, and was, for a short time, Editor of the Evangelical Witness. The Conference of 1871, was called upon to mourn tlie death of the Rev. William McClure. He was born in Ire- land, in 1803. His father, the Rev, John McClure, was the first minister of the Methodist New Connexion in Ireland. William was the oldest of five children, and at the age of fourteen was left without father or mothfr. Through some very severe experiences, he reached the years of manhood. One day, as he sat by the sea-side reading his Bible, the truth was brought home to his heart, and he went on his way a rejoicing Christian. After exercising his gifts in the class-meetings, prayer-meetings and other social services, he was led into the ministry in 1830. For seventeen years he did good work as a pastor and preacher of the Gospel in hib native land. Ife was then appointed to Canada as Assistant Superintendent of Missions, being left, however, available for circuit work. He was at three separate tinies appointed to Toronto. Montreal, London and Hamilton also enjoyed his services. He was President of Conference in 1849, 1855 and 1858; Secretary of Conference in 1853, and was Theological Tutor from 18G0 to 1870. He was i^! \\i It' ■ li '1 f : m j 'J ^1 , ■ s 1 ' i I 5 'i 116 Centennial of Canadian Methodism. also a member of the Senate of Toronto University. His death was sudden. Retiring to rest, on the evening of February 17th, he complained of headache ; the next morn- ing he was found unconscious, and on Sunday evening, Feb- ruary 19th, 1871, he passed away. His rich and ripe scholarship, his large fund of apt illustrations, his wide and varied experience, his meek and quiet, yet earnestly devout, spirit, made him popular as a preacher and endeared him to his friends. No minister of the Canadian Connexion vas so widely known outside of his own community. His death, especially at tLat critical juncture, was felt to be a great Connexional loss. His biography, by the Rev. David Savage, is a comprehensive and beautifp.l presentation of his life and character. The Conference of 1872 was made peculiarly interesting and impressive by the presence of the Rev. William Cooke, D.D.,of the English Methodist New Connexion Conference, who was on a visit to this country. The following resolu- tion, which was adopted with great heartiness, expressed the feeling of the Conference in relation to him — a feeling which was rendered more intense by his well-known sym- pathy with the union movement then in progress : — " That this Conference has learned with much pleasure of the arrival in this country o^' the Rev. Dr. William Cooke — a name honoured not alone in the records of the denomination of which he has been for so many years a faithful and devoted minister, but whose loftv Christian spirit, gifts of intellect, and reputation in circles of religious literature are so universally acknowledged. It is resolved, that Dr. Cooke be invited to visit our Conference ; and whilst we understand that the hurried circumstances of his departure for this country have precluded the opportunity of an official commendation oi our distinguished guest from the authorities of the Methodist New Connexion ir* F.ngland, ■If "ill Methodist Nezv Comiexion Cliurcli. 117 we none the less gladly and heartily Welcome Dr. Cooke amongst us, looking for ihe benefit ^i any counsel and co-operation he may feel it consistent with the time he has at his disposal, and the ol»jects of his visit to Canada, to place at our service. That the Rev. Dr. Cooke be res^ ect- fully invited to conduct divine worship in this church, in connection with the Conference services, on Sabbath morn- ing next." The same Conference bade farewell to the Rev. W. Cocker, D.D., who returned to England. The Rev. John Medicraft was his successor in office, and came to this country in consequence of representations having been made in England to the effect that a very large minority, if not a majority, of the ministers and members of the Canadian Connexion would not consent to the contemplated union, and would require as a continued separate body, the care and aid of the English Conference. He soon saw that these representations were incorrect, and that the struggle against the union was a hopeless one; accordingly he returned to England in 1874. He remained in Canada, however, long enough to win for himself personally the esteem and affection of his brethren in the ministry, who, though they could not aid him in carrying into effect the purpose he came to accompliish, respected his fidelity to the interests he represented, and the commission with which he had been entrusted. In the meantime the Rev. David Savage had been appointed Editor of the Evangelical Witness, fulfilling the duties of that position with great acceptability until that publication was merged in the Christian Guardian. The Rev. S. B. Gundy, who had been called to the Presi- dential chair at the Conference of 1873, died on the r2th of November, in the same year. In the " notice " of his death, adopted by the Conference, it was well said, " that ■ ; ;1 * ■ 'l\}\ ( I f I\ iURi J I I ' 118 Centennial of Canadian Methodism. never was that high position filled with greater dignity, urbanity and ability. During his ministry he was appointed to some of our best circuits and stations, and everywhere inspired confidence, admiration and love. He was a clear, forcible, often eloquent, preacher of the Gospel, a wise and loving pastor, and a faithful and prudent administrator. His death was a singularly haj)py and triumphant one." THE METHODIST NEW CONNEXION, AND THE UNION OF 1874. As the "union movement" in its general aspects and relations will be fully and exhaustively treated in another article, we need only trace the action of the Methodist New Connexion in relation to that movement, so far as it culminated in the union of 1874. The history of the Connexion in Canada is the history of a succession of unions. The amalgamation of the Canadian Wesleyan Methodists with the Methodist Kew Connexion, which took place in 1841, was followed, in 1843, by a union of the Protestant Methodists of Eastern Canada with the united body, thus completing an arrangement which united in one orsranizod Church three communities which had been rivals and competitors. These facts indicate the disposition of this Church toward union. As early as 1863, the Rev. J. H. Robinson, in an editorial, in relation to a general union among the Methodists, said, " If we cannot at once, or soon, unite, let us each work as we are doing for awhile, and under the same name and British relations, having as now our Annual Conferences, and establish a General Con- ference to he held every four years. The first of these General Conferences would be one for neutral brotherly intercourse, and interchange of sentiment rather than for any legislation. We should thus become better acquainted. J^IetJiodist Nciv Connexion CJiurcJi. 119 Christian hearts are ever sympathetic, and sympathy would ripen into brotherly love and attachment, and facilitate our ultimate amalgamation." With almost prophetic foresight the results were thus anticipated that were reached eleven years later. This was the first of many of the same kind. In the Methodist New Connexion Magazine of January, 1870, the Rev. Samuel Hulme closed a noble article, in which he reviewed the action of both the English and Canadian Connexions on the subject of union, in the fol- lowing words : " Under this view we deem the steps taken by the Methodist New Connexion, with a view to heal the breaches of Methodism, as honourable to its intelligence and Christian principles. Our resolutions and proceedings in reference to Methodist union will be cited in years to come, as the first definite movement toward a policy of healing and conciliation." From year to year the Conference continued to record resolutions favourable to union among the Methodist bodies in Canada, and appoint committees composed of the leaiiing ministers and laymen of the Connexion, to meet committees so appointed by the other Methodist Churches; but for a length of time no practical results followed. In February and March, 1871, however, important conferences between these committees took place, in the Mechanics' Institute Buildings, Toronto, which led to the adoption of a series of general recouimendations, setting forth the desirability of union, and recommending a basis that included a General Conference consisting of ministerial and lay representatives in equal numbers ; Annual Conferences, composed of minis- ters only ; District Meetings, in which laymen should be present, except during the examination of ministers' char- acters, etc. In these meetings no one betrayed his denomi- IB i« I k-> I I 120 Centennial of Canadian Methodism. nation, no one was recn'ant to his principlos, but the desire for union was general. The spirit of the meetings was candid, cordial and generous. The reconunendations were referred to the several Conferences, and elicited a vari«'ty of responses. The position taken by the Methodist New Connexion Conference was one of general approval, as expressed in the second of the five resolutions adopted on the subject: "That this Conference accepts, in the main, the Basis of Union })roposed, as moderate and fair to all branches of the Methodist Church, as it recogiii/es the representative position of the laity in the legislative courts of the Church." J>ut in the third resolution it was "recom- mended to the joint committee that may be hereafter appointed by this and other Conferetices, that the latter clause of resolution sixth of the proposed scheme be so altered as to make no distinction in the class of business to be taken up by District Meetings, composed, as laid down, of equal numbers of ministers and laynien." But as time went on, the negotiations were continued only between the Wesleyan Metliodists on the one hand and the Methodist New Connexion on the other ; the negotiations between the former body and the Conference of Eastern [British America having for their object a rearrangement of the work in the same denomination, rather than a union of churches which we:-e not already one people. The report, substantially embodying the terms of union, was brought before the Conferences concerned, as " The Report of the Union Committees appointed respectively by the Wesleyan Methodist Conference and the Methodist New Connexion Conference of Canada, agreed to at the several meetings of said Committees held in the Metropolitan Church, Toronto, ou the 1st and 2nd days of October, 1872; on the 30th and •e IS •e y w LS n », II e .s i- r r o I- ! h' I ■i' w II' HI II ' ! 1 FIRST METHODIST CHUKCH, MONTREAL. NEW ST. JAMES' CHURCH, MONTREAL. 'nm a ^ Methodist Nciu Couuexion Chntr/t. 121 31st clays of January, 1873; and on the 9th and 10th of April, 1873." Though the representatives of the other Methodist bodies were invited to meet at the same time, the two Churches mentioned were the only ones whose commit- tees met. The Basis of Union, as prepared and submitted to the Conferences of the negotiating bodies, was thai which, with a few important modiiications — the principal one substi- tuting the election of a President of the General Conference for the appointment of " General Superintendents, one or more," rendering it still more acceptable to the Methodist New Connexion — was finally adopted by all the contracting communities The Methodist New Connexion Conference, that met at Dunnville on June 4th, 1873, after a debate of four days, adopted unanimously the following resolutions on the subject as brought before them in the report : — "Whereas a committee of thirteen in number was appointed by the Hespeler Conference, to coiifer with committees ap- pointed by the VVesleyan or other Methodist Churches, and said committee having reported to the Conference that they conferred with a large committee of the Wesleyan Methodist Church, the result, of which was the adoption of the report which has been laid before this Conference : Resolved, that the said report be adopted, subject to the sanction of a majority of our Novejnber Quarterly Meetings, and that this Conference appoints a deputation of one or more, to be hereafter named, to proceed to England for the purpose of laying a full statement of the whole matter before the Con- ference of that body, and that the report of such deputation, with the decision of the Quarterly Meetings, be laid before our next Conference." The next Conference was called by the Executive to meet on May 20th, 1874, when, the reports from the Quarterly W. 9 i i - 1 i i 1 » 1 ^ 1 Alt 1>|: xi k' ai ■^1 1 ■: 4 1 ■' I:: 1, ■ ,1 ', - 'ri i ■I 1 1 . . t' 1 ■s !f ; b i. ; 122 Ccnt(')ini(}! of (\n/iM'iv«Ml, tlu» followinii; rt'solutiona woro a(lo)>ttMl : '* Wl\«'n>jis a mujoiity of (l»o ((>imit('rly Mrctitius havo adoptod tlu' Itasis of Mf(MTno»» Ih'i<'1>v ratitirs and ado})ts tlu» said Hasis of Union, })ro\ id(>d (liat our intciprctation of tlio twenty thiid i-lauso in tho Hasis »)f Union In* approved l>y tlio \\'(>sl«>yan (\)nforonro, vi/,.: 'Any act of tlio (Jonoral ('onfrreniM' aHfitinjj; (In* lipids and privi- Icj^os of tin' Annual C\>nf<'r«'ni'os shall lu'come law only whon it s(HMiros a inaioritv of two thirds of I ho nicinhors of the (Jonci'al t\>nforon«.'owho nniy l>o proscntand volo then-on ; provitlod also that such act l>o not ilisapprovcd of hy a majority of tln> lu'st onsuinsj; Ajinual (yonforoniM»-'. Also, that a nvspoctful slattMuont, l»y d«'putation or othrrwiso, of tho whole oaso l>o suhiniltt'd to the Mnnlish (^>nfei'em.'e, solioitinu; their approval of» our aeti«>n ; also, that a deputa- tioji he aj^pointed to the next \Vesle\ an Coid'ejenei', solicit int; tiieir approval of our interpntati(Ui of tho said twenty thii«l olau se o "That this (\inferenee appt>ints a eoinndttce eonsistinjj; f the I'resideid, Ixevs. J. (^ls^v.>ll ami W. Tindall, with Bro. A. Fej'u[Uson, to di'aft a nnMuorial, suUinitt in«:; the recent action of tin- C^inadian ( "onfei«Mice on tin* suhjecl of \inion to the consiileration of the Isnuilish Conference, and to reouest tl th ith UMr actpueseence tlierewun. "That the |{.v. W. Williams and K. Wilken, M'.r., l»e appointed as a deputation to attend the ne\t sessi n of the Knjj;lish (\)nference, for the purposes presci'iUeil in the report of tin* rommittee on the State of tin* Uoniu'xion, etc." "That the deputation to the next CN)nfereiue of the* Wealeyan Church in Ihunilton he Itevs. .1. MoAlister, W. Timlall and C). Huggin, and IJro T. Mitchell." m\\ m'i Mctliotiist Nci<' Cotnicxion (7iinr/t. \ 28 Tlio (\)nf(M'oi\oo havini; luljounuMl to jj;ivo timr for tho (l(»{>ul!i(ions to visit tho ConlorciuTS (o wliicli tlioy nnmto appointed, luot aijaiu at Milton, Autjust iL'tli, IS71. Im- modiati'ly after the (^)til\MtM»ce wasorjjjaiii/.t'd, the deputation appoint'.'d to attend tlu» l"lni,dish Conferenee presented tlieir H'port, wliieh was followed l»y the r.'port of the d<>putation to the Wesleyan Conference, lield at llanjilton, ()nt. The resolutions of the .M«'thodist. New (^onnexi«)n (N)nl'erenoe, held at llaidey, Stutlordshire, Mnj^land, were as follows: — 1, "That havinsj; re deputation to our lat«» (V)nfen'noe, held at Milton on the "JOth of May, a lepoit of the pro- ceedinujs of tlu> said (V)nfereno<' on the projeoteil union of our Mission with tlu> \\'«!sleyan Methodist (-hureh of (^m.ida, and havini,' heard front the llev. W. Williams, and |{. Wilkes, M.l*., the deputation frouj our Church in (*anada, an exposition of the luodilications which tin* Methodist Ntnv (/()nn«'xion and W»>sleyan Methodist Coid'er«'nees have made in tins twenty-thin! article of the IJasis of I'nion; it is resolved tiuit this (%)nference s«'es no reason to alter the iud<;ment alrt'ady pronounced on the liasis of ihiion, as the moditications nuule herein (\o not reuntxc the main grounds of our ohjections to it as set forth iit the resolutions of our last (\)nference." '-. " That inasmuch as a larii;e majority of the (^)inirterly MiM'tinj^s in ('anada havi^ aetM»pted the l»asis of I'nitui, and as their (leliv»>ranoes have lieen ratilied and adopted hy our (Canadian ('OnfenMice, whi(*h now asks our formal consent thereto, this (.conference, in view of these facts, deeujs it undcsiraltlo furtluM* to oppose the union, and should the Caiiaduui Conferokico, atijourned to the call of tlu^ I'residout ii-'>. m ■W ^i; \T •« ' i:i 124 Coitennial of Canadian Methodism. for the final consirleration of this question, after receiving our resolutions, resolve to consummate the union on the terms proposed, this Conference accepts such decision, in the hope that the proposed union will be overruled by the Great Head of the Church to the establishment and exten- sion of lil)eral Methodism in the Dominion of Canada, and to the advancement of the principles and blessings of the kingdom of Christ in the world." We cannot close this record in better terms than those expressed in the report (f the committee on the above resolutions, which was unanimously adopted by the Con- ference : " That this Conference hap listened with much satisfaction to the statements made by our deputation to the EnglisJ. Methodist New Connexion Conference, respecting the spirit in which that honoured body has met the overtures which, during our sessions of May last, we commissioned these brethren to submit. We hereby put on record our sense of the faithfulness with which our deputation have fulfilled the delicate and important trust we placed in their hands. We rejoice also to know tliat our brethren in England have found it consistent with their views of what is due to them- selves to accept the action of the Canadian Connexion on the question of the union of our denomination with that of the Wesleyan Methodist Church of Canada, as that action is found embodied in the expressions of our Quarterly Boards, as also of our Conference at its recent sessions." " We would also recognize the overruling of a wi^e and gracious Providence in conducting the complicated negotia- tions through which we have been led from year to year to a consummation thus satisfactorily reached. This Confer- mm Methodist New Connexion CJiurcJi. 125 ence, however, cannot allow the close and cordial relations that have subsisted for so many years between the parent Methodist New Connexion in England and ourselves to come to a close without expressing^ ou: profound sense of indebtedness to our brethren there for the large and unin- terrupted liberality which has distinguished their policy towards the Canadian Mission, and trust that in the frater- nal relations to be continued in the future, we may have frequent opportunities of intercourse as pleasant and mutu- ally profitable as in the past. We would also most fervently pray that the guiding and sustaining presence of our com- mon Father and God may be vouchsafed to His servants in the prosecution of their entire work at home and abroad. Further, be it " Resolved, that as this Conference at its former session, held in Milton on May 23rd, 1874, did agree to adopt the Basis of Union on condition that the Wesley an Methodist Conference of Canada, the Wesleyan Conference of Eastern British America, and the Methodist New Connexion Con- ference of England would accept our declaration of union, with the interpretation of clause twenty-three in the basis then agreed to ; and whereas these conditions have since been fulfilled by all the contracting parties, this Conference hereby declares its final acceptance of the terms of union between the Wesleyan Methodist Church of Canada and the Methodist Ne>v Connexion Church of Canada; all necessary legal provisions to be determined by tiie General Conference of the United Wesleyan Methodist Church of Canada." So ends the history of the Methodist New Connexion in Canada, as a distinct organization. Communities may dis- !i 126 Centennial of Canadian Methodism. appear and men may pass away, but principles never die. So the j^reat principle of lay representation lives in the Methodism of Canada, and the Methodism of the world ; and men are learning that in the Church, as well as the State, all righteous government is " of the people, hy the people, and for the people." V W\ '1' 1 1 II % 't 1 '■It !l!! • I- THE METHODIST CHURCH OF CANADA. i873-i883. Bv THE Rev. E. H. Dewakt, D.D. THE Methodist Church of Canada is the name by which the chief Methodist body of this country was known from the union which took place in 1874 to the last union in 1883. This body was constituted by a union of the Wesleyan Methodist Church of Canada, the Wesleyan Methodist Church of Eastern British America, and the New Connexion ^Methodist Church of Canada. Before proceeding to outline the history of the Church during the period assigned to me, it may be expedient to review the circumstances that led to this union. The first sign of a desire for union was probably the appointment of committees on union by the Conferences of the different Methodist Churches. Probably the first outspoken advocacy of a general union was in an editorial which I wrote for the Methodist Recorder, a daily paper issued during the Con- ference cf 1870, wliich was held in 'I'oronto. In this article, which also appeared in the (j'unrdiajL, after a general review of the tendencies toward union, it was said, " Under tliese circumstances is it not high time that Canadian Methodism was taking steps to present an unbroken front to the enemy 1 There are, doubtless, hindrances and ditliculties in tiie way of such a union, but if they are ever to be overcome the sooner :l I 1 ll 1 ■i 1 r,M: « . i ; 1 1 128 Ccjitenniai of Canadian MetJiodisvl. they are looked in the face the better. The main practical difficulties will be found in determining what portion of the distinctive peculiarities of each body is to be incorporated in the united Methodism of the future." What may be regarded as the first practical steps towards organic union was the meeting of a few representatives of different Methodist bodies at the house of the Editor of the Guardian, in the fall of 1870. The late Mr. Robert Wilkes, the late Mr. Robert Walker, the Rev. David Savage, the Rev. William Rowe and Mr. AVilliam Beattie were present. Two results followed from this informal meeting : it was agreed to hold a grand union tea-meeting in Toronto on the 3 1st January following. This meeting was largely attended, and addresses were delivered on Methodist topics by repre- sentatives of the Wesleyan, Methodist Episcopal, Primitive, New Connexion and Bible Christian bodies. Though union was not formally discussed, yet the meeting gave an impulse to the union spirit. Somewhat similar meetings were after- wards held in different parts of the country. Another result, which told more practically towards the promotion of union, was an agreement to secure an early meeting of the union committees of the different Methodist Churches. From this time forward the subject of union was more or less discussed in the Methodist papers, sometimes adversely by individuals, but on the whole the discussion gave evidence of a growing union sentiment. Some rather sharp passages- at-arms took place between the opponents and the advocates of union. The Guardian stood firmly for organic union of all Canadian Methodists, on the basis of equal lay and min- isterial representation in the General Conference. The attitude and spirit of the Guardian may be seen from the following, in the issue of February 22nd, 1871 : "If our TJic Methodist Churcli of Canada. Vl^ brethren of tlie other Methodist Churches cannot agree with us in a basis for a general union, we shall very mucli regret tliis ; but we trust we shall know liow to respect the honest convictions of those who clitfer from us. We concede to our brethren of other Churches the same sincerity and purity of motive, in regard to their movements, that we claim for our- selves. If the movement for union fails, we believe the failure will not arise from any indisposition on the part of the We.sleyans to consider, in a frank and conciliatory spirit, the wishes of our brethren of the other Churches, with regard to the proposed united Church. Those who are agr.inst union have as good a right to their opinions as those who are in favour of it, but they must be willing to bear the responsibility of that opposition before the Meth- odist public." In the latter part of the March following, a meeting of the different union committees was held in the Mechanics' Institute, Toronto, to discuss terms of union. Some of the older Wesleyan representatives considered the lay represen- tation already possessed V^y their Church on the different Conference committees as being something better than lay representation in the Conference. The representatives of the other bodies were strongly for some large measure of lay delegation, as were also the younger Wesleyans. The basis agreed upon by iliese joint committees was submitted to the next Wesleyan Conference without any formal report from the Wesleyan Committee. The principle of union was unanimously adopted. The introduction of lay representa- tion evoked some difference of opinion. An amendment was finally passed, which recommended tliat the question of lay representation in the General Conference be submitted to the Quarterly Meetings for their decision, before any further action be taken on the matter by the Conference, ^i■:^ < i \ ! \M ■ 1 ' ^ ■ at: -a ■3 I il \ 1 1 i a ;; 1 1 h I Im a V 1 rence, and was strongly in favour of union. It was reinarkaltle that there was no anxiety for lay delegation in the Oonf(>rence shown hy the laity. The vt^to power of the Quarterly Meeting on the legislation of the Annual Conference was regarded hy many as more important than lay n^presentation in th(» General ('onferenc(\ The majority in favour of lay delegation, on the ground of its being nec(!8- sary to the union, was larg<'r than the vote simply on the merits of the (juestion. The report was also considered, and favourably received by the New Connexion Conference. During the following year there were frequent meetings of the connnittees of the Wesleyan and New (\)nnexion CMiurches, at whii h J)r. Punshon presided. Dr. Punshon was not at tirst enthusiastic for a union involving lay dele- gation ; but as the movement made progress he took a more active part, and rendered good service in the committee meetings. The Methodist Episcopal, Primitive IMethodist, and Bible Christian Churches had withdrawn from the movement, apparently not being yet ripe for practical action in that direction. After some moditications, th(i basis pre- pared by the committees of the Wesleyan and New Connexion bodies was formally adopted by the Wesleyan (-Conference, which met in London in 187.'^, and by the New Connexion Conference, which met in Dunnville at the same time. The Rev. President Nelles f;nd the Kev. E. H. Dewart were appointed delegates to the English Wesleyan Conference, which met in Newcastle-on-Tyne that year, to secure the liarmonious dissolution of the union that had previously existed between the Wesleyans in Canada and in England. Xo dilUculty was experienced in arranging this The Methodist Church of Canada. ini matter, as the Canadian (Jhurch had takoii niorc! advanced ground in favour of lay representation than th<; Imi^HsIi Wesh'yans at that time wijre ready to approve. Ily dis- solving the union, the Itlnglish Wesloyan ( "onfei'encte escaped all the responsibility of (Midorsing th<' tcrins of the (/anadian union. The relationship to IJritish Methodism strongly rcisembled that of Canada to lOngland. Previous to this, a joint niec^ting of the Kastcrn and Western Wesleyans liad heen held in tin; cit}' of Montreal, and terms of union agreed upon. These! terms did not embrace lay delegation. It was one of the trtsks of tlie Wesleyan and New C/onnexion (vonfcjrences of 1873 to harmoni/e tin; two Bases of Union. Tlie union with tin; New (Connexion body and that with the EastcM-n Methodists wen-, in the natun; of things, diflerent. 'I'he New Connexion and tlu; Wrsleyans all through the Western Provinces became; tlioroughly amalgamated as one body, with all former distinctions abolished ; but the Wesleyan Methodists of Eastern ^ 'anada, though united for purposes of legislation and gen<;ral admin- istration, owing to their geographical position, remained practically as they were before union, in carrying out their local Church work. At Hie Wesleyan and New Connexion Conferences of 1874, the linal arrangements for the formal amalgamation of these two bodies were made, and delegates elected to the first Gemeral Conference, which was to meet in Toronto in September, 187 1. At the close of th(; session of the Wesleyan Conference in the city of Hamilton, the Conference divided into local Conferences, as provided by the Basis of Union, and the different Annual Conferences met and organized. The meeting of the first General Conference of the united bodies, in the Metropolitan Church, Toronto, September IGth, ;f •■I n ill' '' Ijjl ' I '? '. 'v . ^1 ' I 1 rii' '■ h'' ' f iii 1^2 Ccutoniial of Canadian Mctliodisni. 1874, was a5i event of great interest, because it was a prac- tical example of the union of two important Methodist Churches which had for many years occupied the same field. Not less interest attached to the fact that this was the first time in the history of Methodism on this continent, where the laity were accorded equal repre- sentation ill the chief court of any large Methodist Church. This great result was accomplished without strife or agita- tion, the ministers having taken the leading part in pro- moting the measure. The constitution then adopted and brought into actual operation is substantially the basis of our present constitution. The election of the venerable Dr. Ryerson to the Presi- dency was a graceful compliment to one who had done valued batle for Methodism and liberty in the early part of liis life, and whose more recent labours in the cause of national education had been successful in establishing a system of schools and colleges that will cause him to be remembered through all coming time as the benefactor of his country. Other men of renown who took part in this liis- toric Conference, but have since passed away from earth, were Dr. Enoch Wood, Dr. Anson Green, Asahel Hurlburt, Dr. Samuel Rose, Dr. H. Pickard, Dr. John McMurray, Dr. John A. Williams, Dr. S. D. Rice, and President Nelles. Among the prominent laymen who have since joined the Church above were John Macdonald, James Gooderham, L. A. Wilmot, Robert Wilkes, and others. A good deal of the time of the Conference was taken up with the adjustment of matters of order and discipline for the future government of the Church. All the points agreed upon in the Basis of Union were reaffirmed and incor- porated into the Discipline of the Church. While the laymen ii 1 T/ie MctJiodht Church of Canada. l:]3 had equal roprosentation in tho (ionoral (V)nf«'rpncp, tho Annual Conf<;r('ncos were coniposcrl of miiiistors alono. Tho reason of this was that it was then assumed that the General Conference would enihrace nearly all the business of the Church in which the laity would feel a strong interest. The business assigned to tl»e Annual Conference was mainly a review of the pastoral work of each year, with such arrangements and adjustments as the continuation of the work rendered necessary. If the laymen, since being admitted to the Annual Conference, have som(!times com- plained that there was little for laynjen to do, this arose from the fact that the sphere of the Annual Conference was largely limitcid to ministerial matters. Provision was made by the appointment of a Transfer Committee for the trans- fer of ministers from one (Conference to another, as the exigencies of the work might demand. A lively debate took place in regard to the name of the Church. In the liasis of Union the name agreed u[)on was The United Wes- leyan Methodist Church. However, in order to facilitate further union, on motion of the Rev. Dr. Douglas, the name was changed to The Methodist Church of Canada. It was supoosed that this name would be unobjectionable to the other Methodist bodies who had not yet come into the union. Although as soon as the first steps were taken towards union there had been some sharp discussion in the newspapers between the friends and opponents of union, yet both the Methodist Episcopal Church and the Primitive Methodists were represented by deputations at this General Conference. Another subject that awakened more than ordinary inter- est, was the publication of a new Hymn-Book for the Chuich. For two reasons it was desirable that such a book should be published : first, the copyright of the English Wesleyan f il il p ' \ » i:m. ( cuicnvi,}! of ( 'tn/(i>t'{,n/ Mitliodisfii. Ilymn Hook, wliich luul Ixmmi usod hy (lio WohIi'^jimh in ( 'inunl:i, l\.nl N'ijiilly oxpircd ; iiini s<'fo!ull\, it, was (l(>Hintliii^ thai (ln» ( '.ininliiin CJIjun-li sliould litivo tlio prolit, on (ho salt's of (li(> liyinn-l)ool\ use*! anions ils jn'oj)lo. On tin* part of (ln» elder nuMi, (Immo whs a. Kh'onLjly ronscrvudvn f«M'lin<^, l(>a«lini; (luMn (o clini^ (o tlio oM l)i)(;k us .lolin Wosloy left il. (M' at least with nothini; nioro than ii sn|)))h>nii>ni to tho oiis;in!il liooU of Mr. W'osh'v. On the |iiirt of oth<>!-H, it was niiiintainiMJ that it. was the tluty ot" the (/lunch to pro- vide the peoph' with the hest possihh> eoUection of hynnm adapt«>d for pul)iie and soeial worslup. v\fter eonsi(h'rahh? discussion, a motion was carried appoint injj; a. »;oininitt('o to proouro the materials for a futnr*' hymn hook. Thin eouhl hardly lu' rei:;ar(h'd jis a victory foi* either party in the dis- oussion. .\ stroni* exprossioti was phu'ed on nn'ord hy tho Confor- enee on tiie suhjeot of temperance and pi'ohihitio' Our Methodist C^hurcli iuis n«»ver ishop Peck, ot" the .Metiuulist Episcopal Church in the United States; the Kev. (Jervase Smith, of the Kn«»li8h Wesleyan Church, the warm personal frienil of Dr. Punshon ; and the R«n-. Tiiomas W. Sari^ent, of the Methodist Episcopal Church South, were all wai inly welcomed by the CYinadiaii brothers. Their sermons on the Sabbath, and their addresses at the public meeting, awakened great interest and deepened the conviction that Methodism was one all over the world. The Rev. Dr. Ryerson and Rev. D. Savage were appointed Tlic Mt'tJiiulisI ( liKi-fh (>/ Cnurufd. •) i.J n'jtn'HiMifiitivj'H io tlic IOmj^IIhIi Mcl.licHliHt/ i^Dwhrruw^ ; IJov, .I«»liM A W'illi.'iiiiH Mild Mr. .loliii M.icdoiiMJd fo flu- ,M«tlir)- ilist l'i)»iHr(>|nil ( !lnir«li of \\\v. (fiiifrd StiitrH, fiiirl tlic \lvv. hr. I JdUiilas t«» I he Millioilist. MpiHropjil ( Imi eh Soul li. '|'|iiiil(M| MisKifKi/iiy Si'«'r«'<;i,r'y. Afirr iiiJikini.' lull ittoviHion I'or llio prsn;! i(;al *'xi;^» iu;i«'H (»r III*' w'oiU MiiHiii;^ out, of I, lie imion of liorlics oocnpyiii!^ tlwi siiiiic ^^'I'oun 1, lln^ (/'oMf«'r«'iu«' l»iol<«' upwifli Ji, f«!fjiiif^ of . ■! i ll 1 1 ;' II :in n i • I l.SO Ccntctniial of Canadian Mctlnuiisiti. hist or }' «>ri()( Is ul ion II o strikinL' evirilu;il progress ; uiul y<'t then' r»iay 1)«» nothing very ren»ark:ihh' to reeonl. Tlie pn^gress of the Church depends upon tlie mrosvth of individual liftv If we couhl follow the history of «'aci> individual soul and tell the story of its enlightenment, struL'gles and victories, it would be of SpJ'OUl 1 interest ; hut we cannot do this, and must 1 )0 satisfied, therefore, with general remarks on the results of the progress of tlu^ (Muirih as a whole. During the yeans following the union of 1S71 the ciiurches made; steady and gen«'ral progress. The state of things on most circuits during this perioil was fully repri'smted hy a sentence in a hotter to the (UtianHan from an ageci minister. He said : " Krom every (juarter conn-s intelligence of a marked suc- cess resulting from the consumnnition of Methodist tinion. Already in many places has great spiritual heiu'tit resulted, and in nn\ny otiiers jnissionary uieetings have heen held w itl I irrea tiy increasetl collections and sul>scriptions I sul> 111 \^1l), the Toronto (\)nference met in tlu'! town of Picton — this was historic Methodist ground ; iiere was lield, in lS2t, the hrst Hallowcll Conference, when the Canadian work was lin.t organized into a separate (\»nfer- enc« , having heen previously connected with tim Methodism of th»i United tStates. The only minister present at this Conference of IST^^ wiio was also present at the Confer- ence 'if IS'Jl was the venerable Anson (Jreen, I>. I>., who was '( "ken out of the itinerant work at the (\)nference of 18*J1, as was also .lohii lilack, Solomon Waldron, It. Corson, and tl. Messmt)re. Th(» only person living in 187."") who had heen a member of the Conference of 1S*J4 was tlio Uev. Jolm J{v«'rsoii. Dr. (in-en informed nie ut tliat h t> Tlii' Methodist (liiticli of Ciiiuulti. VM CoMt'jTcucr that \w lijul not luct any oim oonin'irtini witli the (/limi'li in IMcton who l»«'Ion|^r period that olapsod l)«'tw«'«'n tli<* (JiMU'ral Coiiftjriicc of 1S7I and that of IS7S several prominent Miinist* rs p,i.ss<>(| away. Anion^ thest* wore the Itev. tFohii Suiid.iy, wlio was so lonjj; and widely known n.s a distin- miished Indian I issionary. He visited all parts of Canada, and also i^iii^daiul, in the interests of his peoph'. He was (•on\ert('d nmler the ndnistry of the Rev. I'eter .lonea. 'riic Miniiti'S of the Toronto (^Jonferenee of IS7G says of •h in Indian h 'lied liim : * AS a preaeiu'r in indnm \\v greatly exeeiiec alw.ivs elleelive, <>ften eloquent, In^ Minietinu'S rose to tlie uraut: r.i of snhliniity in thought and speeeh. His inllu- enct' Oil the Indian mind was powerful and extraordinary; many souls \ver«' converted to (Jod through his instru- mentality who will lirighten his crown of rejoicing in that day." Another naiu<^ that Canadian .Methodists *' will not wil- linjjly let die " is that of th« llov. (Jeorge M. McDougall, the celehrated missionary pioni-er in the Nortli-West. Ho was a man of great force of charai^tcr, and full consecration to his work. His whole life was spent in the missionary Held, tor which he had great natural adaptation. His visits from the North- West to tlu^ Provinct? of Ontario, and tithor parts of tim work, always awakened great interest. His inlluence in dealing with the ( Jovernmei-.t, on hehalf of the Intlians, was influential and salutary. The numnur of his ceath was particularly atl'ecting. He nnssed his way in a m ifi'i iii^^ .1"! i s\ l!i 1 :]S Coitoniial of Canadian M cthodisni. A l| : i 1 \ . I \, \ ''; 1 \ >■' ! i ) 1 1 1 blinding snow-storm, and some days afterwards was found calmly sleeping the sleep of death, in the snow drifts of that land that liad 1 en hallowed by his toil and blessed by his prayers. Th(i Rev. John McDougall is a worthy successor of his heroic father. Charles Freshman, D.D., was another remarkable fruit of Methodism who passed away from earth in 1875. lie was of the stock of Israel, brought up in his youth in the Jewish religion, and had prepared himself for the position of a Rabbi. Coming, in 1855, to Canada, through the study of a German J5ible lie was convinced that .Jesus of Nazareth is the true Messiah. By the ministry of th«^ Rev. James Elliot, then at Quebec, the way of God was ex- pounded unto him more perfectly. He was soon after received into the ministry of the Church. He afterwards published a couple of volumes, one an autobiography, and the other a work on the customs of the Jews, a sul)ject on which he was well qualified to write. His son, the Rev. Jacob Freshman, is successfully prosecuting a mission to Israelites in New York. An event of interest during this period was the meeting in the city of Quebec of the committee on the compilation of a hymn-book ; Dr. Ryerson was in the chair. The work to which the committee at that time confined their attention was to decide what hymns in the old Wesleyan book should be omitted, and what changes should be made in those tha were retained. The President was decidedly opposed to any alteration in the part of the book that had been com- piled by Mr. Wesley himself, but as nearly all the members of the committee were of a contrary opinion to the chair- man, that part of the work was completed before the eouj- mittee closed its sessions. S|! The MctlioiUst Church of Canadn. 13J) Several things of general interest to the Church took place (luring the quadrenniuni. The puhlication of a connexional muffazine had been left in the hands of th«' liook Conimittee. The Mfthodixt Ma nnrdlaii, but, after the Evanijelical Witw^^s was discontinued, at tiie annual meeting of the l^ook Committee the Khv. David Savage became assistant editor of the (hiardinn, taking Dr. Withrow's place, and Dr. Withrow became responsible editor of the Maf/azhie, a position for which he Iihs shown remarkable titness from then till the present time. He has also had charge of the Sunday-school peiiodicals for the same period. The organization of a Theological Union in connection with Victoria College led to the formation of Annual Conference branch unions, which has largely promoted the study of theology among our younger ministers. Extensive revivals throughout all the Confeiences are reported in the columnn of the (iiiardian during tliis period. At the London Conference of 1877, tlu^ Rev. Dr. Kyerson was requested to prepare and publish a volum(? of essays, recalling the historic facts of early < 'anadian Metiudism. Tliis work was completed and publisluMl under ihe title of "The Story of My Life." At the Toronto Conference of 1878, an event of great interest was the reception of five native Japanese candidates f» r the work in Japan. It was only a few years since our first missionaries. Dr. Cochran and Dr. Macdonald, had gone out there, and alre^.dy, through their faithful labours. Cod had raised up men who were eon- aecrating tlieir lives to the work of preaching to tlieir coun- trymen the unsearchabh' riches of Christ. The next General Conference was held in tl.e city of Montreal, in September, 1878. The Rev. George Douglas, n r-l ;;■■! ' h ^ ii' \- t 1 j ■( ■ 1 .1 ■' 1 ■1 1 i i 1 - V ■ ! 1 1 1 1 • 1 , 1 1 i ii 1 1 ill i 140 Ceiitcfifiinl of Canadian MctJiodism. w T* ■ • ■ LL.D., was elected Piesident. A review of the previous four years i,'ave jj;ratifying evidences of spiritual and rnate- riiil proi^ress. The total number of nnnisters reported was 1,105, thus showing an increase in the ((uadrenniuni .)f 134, although 47 had died during the sanje period. The niem- bership had increased from 101,940 to 1*22,00."), showing an increase of 'JO,0.")y. In the Sundaysciiools there was also a gratifying increase — 221 additional schools, 2,474 increase in teachers, and 19,754 increase in scholars — as compared with the returns in 1874. All the funds of the Church reported a large; increase. The two great del)ates of this Conferei;c(; were on the new iiymi»-l>ook and the class-meeiing (piestion. The Hymn hook Connnittee prtisented their report of what had l»een done, I'hey had left out a considerable number of the iiymiis in the < Id collection, which had not l»een found so suital>le for use in the congregations. They recom- mended thit a completely ninv hymn-book be prepired, in which old and new hymns should be arranged under their proper headings. The disct'ssion turned on tli«i ([uestiun whether this method should be carried out, or whetht^* Mr. Wesley's hynni-book should be retained, with a new supple- ment, in the manner that the English We^Ieyans had adopted. The result was that the compilation of a complete new hymn-book wms recommitted by the ('nnference to the same committee. E.x-(«overnor Wibnot having died, Dr. David Allison was added to tin; committee in his place. Mr. Wilmot was a nuvn of great natural gifts, lie was at one time CJovernor of New Hrunswick, and occupied other important public ofHces ; but he retained his position as Superintendent of the Fredericton Sunday-school while Governor of tlu5 ir'rovince. He was held in high esteem by ! -m TJic MctJiodist C Jill veil of Canada. 141 the ministers and laity of the Church in the Maritime Provinces. The debate on the class-meeting question was able and protracted. Some of the members maintain^ d that it was not right to make attendance at class a te^jt of niembership, because nothing should be made a condition of membership that was not laid down in the New Testament as a condi- tion of Christian life. On the other hand, it was argued that any change in the Discipline that would make the obligation to attend the class-me(;ting less binding, would have the effect of causing this means of grace to be less generally attended by the people. Though the feeling was strong for some modification of the existing rule, no decisive result was reached. The decision was virtually postponed, with the understanding that larger liberty should be given to Superint'^ndents of Circuits in dealing with particular cases of non-attendance. The interest of this Conference was greatly enhanced by the presence of several distinguished visitors froui sister Churches. The chief of these were the Rev. S. Coley, of the English Wesleyan Conference; the Rev. Dr. Upham, of the Methodist Episcopal Church in the United States; the Rev. Dr. Kelly, of the Method' ■■. Episcopal Church South. The pultlic services of these brethren were highly acceptable and edifying. During the meeting of this Conference a general election was held, the result of whicp was the defeat of the Mackenzie Government, and the return of Sir John A. Macdonald to power. The political excitement, though not unfelt by the Conference, did not prevent it pursuing the even tenor of its way to the close. The only important change in tlie General Conference officers was the felection of Rev. William Briggs as Book Steward, in ^he place of li t' i i 1 : ■ 1 i ' ■' ! 1' ■:! . f ■ I " 1 ilf' •fll;' ji ;! 142 Centennial of Canadian MetJiodism. Rev. Dr. Rose, who hfid been liook Steward froiii 1866 to 1878. The period between 1878 and 1882 was not marked by any extraordinary ev»»nts but was a time of steady pro- gress in all the departments of church work. The year following the (General Conference a movement was inau- gurated for the payment of a large debt that had accrued in connt;ction with the Mi- ^onary Society, and for the general extension of the work. A letter from the Presi- dent, Dr. Dougleis, placed the whole matter before the Church. A deputation visited each of the Annual (.Confer- ences to press upon them the claims of this movement. There was a hearty and gen(^rii.l response, which not only cleared otl' the mission debt, but supplied resources for other connexional interests. The case of the Oka Indians attracted a good deal of attention ; large grants of land had originally been made by the King of France to the Seminary of St. Sulpice for the care and education of the Indians. A large number of the Indians having left the Church of Rome and united with the Methodist Church, caused the authorities of the Seminary to take up an attitude of opposition and to deny the claims of the Indians to the land. Tiiere is no doubt that t!ie land was originally given in trust to the Seminary for the benefit of the Indians, but the Indians could not claim a right to the estates in fee simple. This matter has never been settled yet. The powerful influence of the Seminary of St. Sulpice, as representing the Roman Catholic Church in Lower Canada, has given them a great advantage over the Protestant Indians in all the phases of this contro- versy. Some of the Indians have removed and formed a settlement in Muskoka, but a large number still remain at /'//(• Mt'tliiuiist i/iii/i/i of Cn)ia(ia. \V.\ (.)ka, iind cliiiiii tlieir rij^ht to a share in the inheritance wliicli was posse.ssed and enjoyed by their fathers. Several of the pastoral aiKlresses issued hy the Annual Conferences during this period gives special prominence to the necessity of guarding against a tendency to indulge in worldly amusements. Yet the Huixrdian for each of these years re[)orts extensive revivals of religion, which furnish prac- tical evidtiur that there was no falling oft* in earnest evangelical work. There is also frequent reference in these addrcsst's to the nt^cessity of putting fortli greater eft'orts for the religious education of the young, and in general pastoral supervision. This has led to a greater iiit(Mest in Sabhath-school work, and in the production of .Sal)l)ath school literature. There can be no doul)t, while there should l)e no abatement in practical aggressive work, the conditions of the present times demand wise and earnest efibrts to save the young from the evils to which tiiey are exposed, and to train them for successful Christian work. The tounnittee appointed to complete and publish the new Hymn-book, after holding several meetings in sub- sections, met in the town of Cobourg, in September, 1879, and completed the gener il work of compilation. The book was received with, gene.al satisfaction, and has vindicated in practici i use the taste and judgment of its compilers. The organization of the vSalvation Army in England, being in some respects a revival of primitive Methodist evangelism gave an impulse to evangelistic work in Canada as well as in other places. The publishing business, as represented by the Toronto Book Room, was also largely extended. A depiitati.Hi was sent in 1880 to the Methodist Epis- II rai 'M 'jlii. ^^H 1 < ^^H l^^^HI > : I (• 144 Ccutciuiial of Canadian Mctlioiiisn). •I i 11: \ ; copal (i«Mi<'ra! (/onfrroncf iit Cincinnati, to contV'r with the Kii«{liNh and Anjcrican M<»thoflists, rcsprctini^ the hol(iin<{ of an Ecumenical Methodist C^onfen-nce in Lonranch«»s f)f Canadian Methodisu). This result divl not so much follow from any- t'nng that was said or done at tin? London (/onft'ience, as from the association and Christian ii»tercourse that to>k place during their stay in l^)ndon. The establishment of the Woman's Missionary Socit^ty has been followed by important results ; not oidy has it afforded a sphere of Christian work for the women of Methodism, it has developed sympathy and lil>erality towards the missionary work in a degree beyond what could have been anticipated. In the period intervening between the General Conference of 1S7S and that of IS^'J some of the most prominent men in Canadian Methodism were called home. The llrst of these was Dr. Anson Ureen, who had occupied most of the }d\. • ollicial positions in the gift of his Church. He had I. '^ i a leading part in arranging most of the changes and unions of former times, and continued up to the last to show strong attaclnnent to the (^hurch and a deep personal interest in everything that aftV'c*.ed its welfare. Lachlin Taylor was another of these standard-bearers. Few men were more widely known from one end of Canada to another. For many years he was agent of the Uj)per Canada Bible Society, and did much to draw the repr'senta- If Tlic MctJiodist Chiinh of Cauaiia. 145 tiv«'H of different ChurcheH closer together ot> the coiiiinoii liihie platform. If Dr. KyerHon was the apostle to Canada of civil and religious liberty and intellectual culture, Dr. Taylor was the apostle of grand Christian liberty and fraternal union, lie was for several years connected with the missionary departments of our work, and his appeals on l)elmlt" of that enterprise called forth the eidarged liberality of our people. He had a soul full of noble enthusiasm for all grand work, and of sym[)athy for all who were struijgling, and with a magnetic power he communicated that enthusiasm and sympathy to the vast multitude, and led them forward to do and dare for (iod and humanity. The name of Egerton Ilyerson is still mon; widely known. He died on the Ifjth FeViruary, 18i^2. In the days of the old Family Compact he rench'red patriotic service by his aV)le vindication of the eciual rights of all Churches. His work as Chief Superintendent of Education for thirty-two years has given him a high place among the historic men of Canada. He brought to the duties of this office broad intelligence and a rare executive ability, which have for all time stampv^l his name and influence on the educational system of his country. He was the leader and instrument of a great educational reform ; he was, indeed, a man of war from his youth up, but the latter years of his life were eminently peaceful. He had ontlived the b■^ternes8 of former times, and in a serene and honoured old a^e, possessed in a high degr^'C the respect and good feeling .,'^. men of all churches and parties. But we have always thought that he never did any better work than in his early battles for religious liberty and equality. The General Conference met in Hamilton in September, t I I 140 Centennial of Canadian Metlioiiisni. ^1: m\ K \ li m ^if! ■ ' 1882. The iiev. Dr. Hict^ was t'lectod President, the Rev. Dr. J. A. Williams being within a few votes of him. All the departments of the work were reviewed. The member- ship had increased about 3,000 during the Quadre .lium, and the different funds reported a corresponding advance. The Educational Society had rendered important assistance to all our Church collenes. The chief debate of tht? (Jon- feience took [)lace on a proposal to enlarges the power and authority of the President of the (ieneral Conference ; but no material change was made. A (juestion of the right of the Annual Conferences to decide when (ieneral ('onfev- fence legislation artected their rights and privileges, was discussed at considerable length. A Court of Appeal was constituted, to which th. power of deciding all such questions was committed. The idea of union was so promi- nently in the thought of the Conference that very little in the way of legislative changes was effected. The question of a g«'neral organic union was fully discussed. A com- mittee on union, appointed by the Conference, held repeated conferences with the committees of the other Metho- dist Churches, and considerable progress was made towards a general union of all Canadian Methodists. A large committee was appointed to meet the representatives of the Methodist Episcopal, Primitive Methodist and Bible Christian Churches, to promulgate a basis of union. The presence and services of Bishop McTyeire, of the Methodist Episcopal Church South, and of Rev. Dr. Studley, of the Methodist Episcopal Church, added very much to the interest of the Conference. Dr. Rice was appointed representative to English Methodism ; Rev. \V. Briggs to the General Conference of the Methodist Epis- copal Church South, and Dr. Williams and Mr. John INlac- ! : \ TJic Mctliodist Church of CiDiada. 147 donakl to the (ft'iieral CoiifenMice of the Methodist Episcopal Cliuivh. This bV-ief review of the events of the period from IS74 to 1883 has been sketched amidst great pressure of otlier work. Neitljer tiie limited space which was available for these jottiriijs, nor the time at tiie disposal of the writer, permitted the production of anythini,' like a connected his- tory of the period. Methodism in the Maritime Provinces formed an important part of the Methodist Church of Can- ada. In common with the western work, its progress was manifested duriiii; these years by a steady increase in the membership, as well as by increased liberality in contribu- ting to the funds of tlie Church. The »;ducational institu- tions — V^ictora and Mount Allison Universities, as well as the colleges for tii«^ education of young ladies — rendered val- uable service lo the Church by giving a sound education to our young people of both sexes, which qualified them to till p'^sitions of trust and usefulness, and kept them abreast with the intelligence of the times. The liberality of the people enabled the Church to extend its missionary opera- tions in Japan and other places. A large number of elegant and commodious churches were erected, keeping pac(^ with the growing wealth and culture of the people. Thus the practical success of the union of the Wesleyan and New Connexion bodies, largely silenced objectors, and pre- pared the way for the more comprehensive union that was successfully carried into effect in 1883. 1 I ' i -M * H I ■" i III f iiiiii l! Pil HISTORICAL SKI'TCII (IF TIIK MKTIIODIST EIMSCOI'AL CHURCH IN CANADA. Bv THK Kev. S. G. Stone, D.1>. THAT it is believed to be the cliild of Providence, is not among the least of those ini[)uIsos to which Methodism has always and everywhere owed the devotion of those moral heroes, who, in all periods of its history, have gone forth into known or unknown regions, preach- insr its soul-saving doctrines, with as little doubt of success as they have had of their own being. They have not only felt the inspiration common to all who have intelligently, and with a due sense of their responsibility, consecrated themselves to the promulgation of the Gospel, but they have believed with intense conviction that (iod had raised up and sent forth this special form of evangelism for tilt purpose, not only of saving men directly through its instrumentality, but also for the quickening of other agencies engaged in the same work. Whatever their views of the doctrine of foreordination in its Calvinistic sense, they have, at all events, had as little doubt of success in their mission of evangelism as they would have had if they had received their allotted fields of labour directly from the hands of God. It was not without reason that they had this confidence. The very existence of the Methodist Church, as such, was Vi n '\ i t " 1 ■ ■ ' 1 1 S- J' ;! i I :>() Cciitcniiinl of Catnxdian Methodism. of (Jod. C«M't!»,inly neilhcr Mr. Wosloy nor tlioso who wtMV jissociiivcd with him ever contcnipliitt'd tho «'st;il»lisli iiuMit of a separate coiiuiiuiiiou until it was jii-ovidr'ntially hiid upon iiini. I'^vcn in tlic Anioiican colonics, where the circumstances of the Metliodist societies •.♦ere such as to ahnost imperatively demand rlistinit organization, his scruples ai^ainst it prevented such oi-j^ani/ation until the al)Kolui.e dtvstitntion of the sacraments foritade further • h'lay, Tluis, wJK'thtM' with or without ori;ani/ation, Meth- oinsm has ai'isen to meet a demand whi<'h no other a^eiicy was ft Lord .lesus Christ. The same divii:e superintendence is not wanting in the introduction of organized iMt Li'odism into Canada, toward the celebration of th(» Cetitennial of which this volume is contributed. In the year ot 17^0-90, the l{ev, Freeborn (tarreison sent William Lonee, with J)avid Kendall as his colleague, to pioneer "'hat was cabled the Lake (Miamplain Circuit— a, portion of the State of New York — which, either by reason of the sparseness of its settlements, or because it was settled, where settled at all, by people already attached to another counn union, presented no adecpiate inducements to their continuance of the mission thcv had undertaken. Their iournevs had, iiowever, brought them in sight of Canada, whither their feet had doubtless been led by that Providence which sees beyond the plans of men, and, in January, 1700, Mr. Ijosee, who had relations in Canada, and who, it is supposed, received a roving commission from his presiding Klder, crossed the Mctluuiist /•./^isio/ui/ (Inirdi in ( iUi.uIa. |.'»l St. Lawroiice, proliahly uoar St. lle<;is, pnvulnMl at various placi'S as 1h' journoyfHl wostwanl, sought out his fri<'iuls in ,\(l()lplinstowii, lici^aii p>'«'athini( amoiii; (Ihmm, *'aml thus hcraiiK', so far as the r«';;iilar iiiiiiistry is cotHcnicd, lh«' M post If of M(^tho\vor (yanada, near Montreal, and, sul)se(pH'ntly, to Aui,Mista, where, in I77S, without the superintendence of a preacher or other ecclesiasti(Mil authority, they ori,'ani/e«l a class mposfd of Paul and IJai'hara Heck, of sainted memory, CO tl leli' tl ireo •.ons. .iol III, flacol > aiH I Samuel, •lohn and Catharine liawrenco (the widow of Philip I'lmltury), Samuel F^mhury and others. The home of Mr. Lawrence iiecamo tl ion )h )f r place ot worship, and namm hi] (1 S; Km) )nrv was ap{)ointe(l l(>ad(M'. This little hand, in the midst of a wilderness often echoin<.j to the whoop of warlike trihes hastening to join in the conllict which ra<,'ed over the American colonies, kept alive that religious zeal for which their leaders hud been so distinguishe(l, and did what they eould for the promotion of godliness for years hefore it was possil>l« to tu'ud missionaries to their aid. In 171*^0, a local preach<'r, by the name (»f Tuiry -a commissary of a Ihitish regiment in (.^ueU'c .seeing the religious destitu- tion ;>roiind him, emhraced such opportunities as he hiul for preaching the Cospel rlurifig a p«»riod of three years, and leaving as the fruit of hi« zeal not a few who were subsecjuently amoii^ the t'lrHt to 0|>en their homes for reli (ill I .V2 Centennial of Cdnatiinn Methodism. i «^ions s(M*vic<'s. To him is accordjul thd Iionour of Ikmii^ the fiist Mrrliodist pnMiclicr in CjiiiiKlu, 111 17«^<'>, (t»'<»rm' Nciil, wlio had Im'oh major of a I^itisli cavali'v rcijiiiMMit, in (l«'ori^ia, luit who had i«'tin'd from (hf s(M*vit!t' (hum '« <•» war crosstM 1 tl ir laiTJiia rurr ;iiMl imiiMMJiatt'ly hc^^aii to preach to the (h'stitute proph* \\v found in tliat \ icinity, coinnuMirin;^ iii.s hiltours at. (Juccns ton, nvImmc ho was nuich oiu^ourai^od l»y a Mr. (N)p<', who ha*l hi'cn a Mothodist in tho Stairs, and others who W(m«' in sympathy with his woriv. At liist h»» was much oppos^-d hy tho oHie<>r in command at (.^)u('«!nston, wh(t (►rdcrcd him to (h'sist from pr«'iichin«j, the reason i^ivcn h«'inn that he was usurping,' functions wliich h(»N»n^<.(l exclusively to the lislahiishe I ('hurch. Ilavinj^ otiu'r views of his privileges, Mr. Neal contniu«'d to pieach, meetiiii; with much success, founreruiuu rs of those messtingers of tiie cross who, with not legs heroic coura«;e, were to carry the standard forward, in tlif meantime (17H8) an exhorter hy th»! name of Lyons came from tlie United States and opened a school in Adolphustown, and "not nej^lecting the gift that was in him," gathered tlie people together on Sahhath days in dif- ferent parts of the country adjacent to his school, and exh«)rted Methodist /■./\-S(o/ui/ ( Jmirli in iiiiunfft. I "».*i tl H'lll to tlco fr-oiii the wiatli to coiiuv AKout the sumo tirn o. •Ijiiih's M(('.irtv, ail liislmiaii, who had Ijrni coiivrrUHl uiitlcr W'hitrrnld's iiiinisti-y, caim' ovrr from th«' States, and ' ,M-hiiiLi iMiH'stow II, found th«'i(^ a Jiumhri- of lay Methodists who yhidlv opfiied tlicir h>Lj caliitis to the |>«'(H)I«' who ;;ath »'i(.'(l to hear him )»rrach. His services were instrumental in ihf coiiv. i^ioii of many sfuds, l)ut this, instead <»f eoin- memliiii,' liim to the t leri,'y of the: ('hurch of Kn^^land, ('X- (•iteond the seen that the power of self proj >i>ai'a>ion — the sure «>videnr«» of life jiad i»rei)ai'ed th prep way for ot Canada. 'I'lic letition was (•t»rdially received, and Mr. Losee was ordained leaeon anti sf.ridned at Kin^stcm, reaehinij his circuit in Kehruarv, 17'.M. (hi the liOlii of the same month he or-^an d liis lirst cjasw. another on the following; Sunday, and »sday, the llnd of March, the day on rent hiane to his reward. This was V '.♦1 . On t c lasK. ai

...... ..* izeii his lu'Kt yet another whi»'h John the connneni^emeTit of ortrani/cd Methodism in (Canada. It is truf that cIji»*i»*h iiiii^ lief. .re this heen organized lioth in Autrusta in the east and Stamliord in the west, hut such <>r;;(ani/.ation was one ot e.xpedietjcy a mere ltandin<,' t«\netlior of Christians, formeily menil>ers of the MitlKulist Kpiscopal ('hunh, or converted l»y the instrumentality of who had heen connected with that (/hurch in tli)> io8e tl States. They had no »'<<'|esiastical connection with culi <»ther, nor with the Methodist (/hurch either in iOn^^daml or America. io rt'turn is made in t h« .M mutes (»f the Methodist f''./^is<(i/^(f/ (liKtrli in CiiirnM'iit t»> Kingston, t'of (Im* i^'.-iHon stiitrd no oiH' liini Imto !iiit liori/«'(l to enrol tlimi. 'I'lio ollowin 'A y <*jif tl H'lT IS ;i it'dirn o i h >•) ntfMirtcr for ( 'atfir.Mjiii Oiic'uil Hir iiiinM- Kingston Iti'ln;^' (hopjo'd - this nuMilnT incliKlin;^ the rcsnlts (»f tin* hiliouis of ll»'ck :iii(l KnilMity in Au^UHtu, und LsonK iind Mc(jirty on Mio shores of tho lijiy of (.^>uinl('. At this tinio Mi'. liosr;' was a yotin^' man hnt, twonty- s<'V«Mi yrais of aj^c, an alilo |>i<'a,2. In the s.inie month a .second was hei^iin in ICrnestown for the eastern end of the oirouit, each huildintj lieinjL? thii'ty-six feet hy thiity, two stories hi;,di, with ^^alleries -snnill Iteniniiini^s, hut full of promise f(»r th<^ future. Fiosee returned to (!urd"erenee l)earinj^ eheorin;,' reports of Ins years work. His va.st circuit was divided into two, and, with harius iJnidiain as his colleague, he hastened hack to his helosed people. Tlni new <'ir('uit, calh'ti < >swe^'atchie, einl)iac«'(| the country east of Kinj,'ston, and CataiiKpii that to the west, Losee takinj^ the former and huidiam tin; latter. After the return of Mr. liosee with his c(dlea^'ue, the liist t^Juarterly .Meeting' held in Canada was convened by .Mr. hunliam, he heinjj; an Khler tln^ presidint( I'ildei-, Mr. '■-'ivi ■ll 156 Centennial of Canadian Methodism ir^li I m able to visit thf^ country. Tt was held in Ei-nestown in a barn owned by Mr. Parrott, and was a j^lad day to those who had so long been without tiu^ sacraments of tiie Church of thiiir choice. Wiiat is it that has been lost out of these occasions in these later flays which r;iced within its hounds all of Canada and IMiiladelphia, with the intervening country. Wlien it is rememhered that there were no macadamized roads, no railroads, few turnpikes, few bridges, little entertainment except of the roughest clas.s, it will ho .sc«'n how niuch the Methodism of our dav owes to those heroic men an( le kindred si)irits w •hicl 1 succeec led tl lem ; men wnose zea 1 tl d for CI irist took litth; thought of persoiml comfoi't, the amount of salary they should receive, or little els(^ than how they could hest win men and women to the cross of Christ. The returns to the Confei'ence in iSOl ga\«' l,ir)0 mem- hers with .Joseph Jewell as Presiding KIder, and Keeler, Sawyer, Anson, llerron, and Pickett in the Held. In ISO;") the memhership wa 1,787, and the eight ciicuits werei manned hy Samuel Coate, Presiding Elder; Pearse, Pickett, iJishop, Thomas Madden, Koht. ]*erry, Wm. Case, Henry liyan, Nathan liangs, Sylvanus Keeler, names honoured in Canay the New York . Conference, William Ca.st; and Henry Ryan were Presiding Elders of the Cp})er and iiower Canada Districts respectively, and Culp, Adams, Whitehead, Y'oumans, Brown, Madden, Prindle, ChamKeilayne and others were the preachers. In 18 1(! the membership was L*,7.'iO. The political feelings stirred l>y the war brought in, through their operations in Nova Scotia, i>ritish missionaries, especially to Quebei- and Montreal. This excited strife, which the Genera. Confer- ence of 18 1() faih'd to allay, but which was hirgely (juieted by a compact in 18:10, that the Rritish missionaries should luive tlu' Kast, and the Methodist Episcopal Church the rural .sections and the West. In 1824 the Canada work, which had previously been first a part of the New York Conference, then of the (Jeneral Conference, was (»rgani/.ed , :'n' Methodist lipiscof'nl Clutrcli in Camuin. I')!) Epi 1 as an Annual Conference of the Metlioclist iLpiscopa ("liurcM. In tliis year (1824) there were in Lower Canada eleven British Wesleyan missionaries and 1,113 nienihers. In Upper (Canada, embraced in the Canada Conference of the Mtjtliodist Kpiscopal Church, there were thirty-six ministers and G, 150 members. The limits of this paper forbid a detailed recital of the i^roNvth of Canaron>ote. We must hasten to later periods and events preceding which th<^ work had spn^ad over the whole of rp[»er Canada occupied by the white settlers, and among various tribes of Indians as well. In 1828, the membership iiad increas(»d to 9,078, there having been added during the last year 090 whites and 34.'i Indians. The work was divided into thirty-two circuits and missions, occupied by forty-seven travelling and seven superannuated ministers. Such was tlu? position of Methodism in Upper Canada in the year cited abo\'e, when an event occurred which marked a new epoch in its history. In 1824, the General Conference meeting at lialtifuore, Md., at the recjuest of Messrs. Wyatt, Chamberlain and I. 13. Smith, the Canadian dele- gat<'S, organized the Canada Conference, the territorial limits of which were the boundaries of Upper Canada. The causes wikich led to this were various, but chiefly in view of the prejudice which existed in many places against such nnnisters as were citizens of the United States, a prejudice largely excited, and in tlie ;il)sence of the ri«;ht of their own ministers to marrv them, many, rather than submit to the arrogant assumptions (»f the clergy of the Established Church, made tiie necessary journey of fourteen miles from the residence of a Cluireli of England minister to be married hy a magistrate. Another incident which contributed to the dfsire for a separation from the Mother Church, was the position taken l)y Rev. Henry llyan, who, during the war of ISpJ and for some years aft»'rwards, had bern practically at the hea'i of the Church, and its i)old and loyal defender. Otheis, also indignant at the charge of disloyalty made against the Methodists, were much influenced to change the relations y<'t sustained toward the Church in the United States. Mr. llyan finally decided to use all his influence in favour of a complete separation from that body. It is not neces.sary to assuUM", as has be»*n done, that persoiuil anibition was at all a factor in the ca.se, or that any other motive decided him l)ut a sincere desire to relieve the Methodists (»f (Janada from the disadvantage of being suspected of political lean- ings towards the United States. This opinion was not at that time sh.-ired by the great body of tin; Methodist people, who dt^sired ordy that a Conference should be oi'ganized in Canada to be under tln^ jurisdiction of the General Confer- ence of the Methodist Church. A petition to this effect was forwarded to that body by the hands of Messrs. Chaml)er- lain and Smith, and after due consideration was granted l)y ! v!. J'' i^ l(i-2 Centennial of ianadian Methodism. If: li I tlu; (iciuTfil (.'onforoiice. Accordingly, on the L*4tli of AiiLjust, IS'JI, the Canada ConfenMice was duly or;^ani/,ed unth*r the piesidency of Bishops (Joor/Ljo and lledding, both of wlioni Nver<^ present. The Conference numbered but thirty-six pr«'achers, including those received on trial, yet wilhin this small circle were euibraci^d men of stalwart merit, to whom were added at the (.'onference of 1825, two candidates who wer(? destined to occupy the most conspicu ous positions in the future of Canadian M(!tho(lism, vi/., James liichardson and Egerton Uyerson, who were stationed together the following year on Yonge Street Cir- cuit, Mr. liiiiiardson being in charge. Mr. Richardson had been an otlicer in the navy in 1 812, losing an arm in the bombardment of Oswego, an engage- ment in wliich he had been conspicuous for his heroism. Moth were e.xcellent preacher.s, and each, early in its history, was editor of the Christili,i,'ations under which they had laid the country by tiie zealous and valuable s«'rvices they had rendered to the cause of religion and public morality, a copy of which was forwarded, with an address from the Assen)bly to King (ieorge l\',, advising against the establishment of the Church of Kngland in Canada; the obj(;ct for which |)r. Stiachiin was most assiduously, and with such unscru- pulousness, working. In view of this continued opposition, the defection of Mr. Ryan and others who were end<'avour- ing to (Un ide the Church upon the (juestion of independence and other- proposed changes in methods of government, and also by leason of the fact that Methodist ministers were not authorized by law to celebrate matrimony, nor had the Church any such legal status as gave security to its posses- sion of th(? numerous chapels which had been erected, and hoping that by securing independence these disabilities might the more easily be removed, and also by reason of other ditliculties which had arisen, it was thought best to urge upon the General Conference of 1828 the separation of the Canada Conference from the parent body. A men»orial to that eil'ect liaving been drawn up four years previously, the several Conferences had become familiar with the reasons upon which the proposition was based, antl there- fore it was cordially agreed that, the Cejieral Conference being satislied of the desire on the part of the Methodists of (.'anada to organize themselves iiito a Methodist Episcopal (,'hurch, they should have that liberty. Documents to that eflect were, therefore, prepared and adopted, the separation was completed, and at the session of tiie Canada Conference held in Krnestown in the October following, the Methodist Episcoi»al Church in Canada was duly organized, the llev. < i Hi ill I()4 Ceutouiial of Oinndian Mcthodisui. William (.'aso l)eiiii; elected (Jonoral Superintendent y>ro /^w/. It is sii^nilicant of tlx^ important position Methodism had achieved, that ev(Mi before the separation from the Metho dist l^pisc(»pal Church was completed, a hill came into eflect entitlin;^ the MetlmdistH in Canada to hold church })roperty; and it is e(iually si^'niticant of the persistent hostility of the Church of hjiL,'land, that in ord«'r to secure the ri;;ht of Methodist ministers to celebrate matrimony, they had to apply isfO|)!il Church fioiu th»' Wrslryaii Mj-thodist ( 'hurch, .111(1 iilso roMstitutiiif,' it ji \.\\vl of thr Iiittcr hody. It will ^('|•\^• no <;ood pill post' to discuss th<; methods «'iii|»loy»'d to Itiini,' ;il)out tiiis l^nion, nor to imply <'Vr->uinmated did it meet with the unanimous approval of the whole (Jhureh. To that system of ^overmiMMit under which Methodism in Canada had made such lapid stiich'S in the face of the must unscrupulous opposition, a very respectalde minority Nvece so warmly attrtched that they determined to oppose !t« Micrilice hy all proj)ev methods, conteiulin^ th;U the (Msi'i- pline of the ( hurt'h inad(< no jn'ovision for its complete destruction, and that the ri'strictive rules liiid l>e«'n violated in the method of procedur<', and, therefore, they ••ould not suhmit to the sai- pal Methodism set ahout the reor;,'Hni/ation, as some say, or the maintenance and continuance, as others say, of the Mt thodist Kpiscopal Cliurcli with not h'ss lionesty of ooii- , \ \ I ! 160 Ceutctniial of Ctless, in JSJJ.'J too much precipitancy and too nuich of the element of coercion, with too litth; of cHort at concilia tion. After conventions had heen held in se\e?al places in tlie Province, it was decided to call a Conference, to he held at Cummer's (^inn'ch, Von<4<' Street, now Willowdale. to meet on the *jr)th of dune, IS.'M. |)()ul»tless the expecta- tions of those who had thus decided wer«' disappointed when the day airived. If it liad heen e.Kpeeted that any considerahle innnhei* of the ministeis in the ftctiv<« work would ahan(h)n tlie new onhM' of thinu[s, it nnist have heen without suiVnMent assui'anc(\ All, *)!• nea,rly all, had voted foi" th(» Union, and ther<'ff)re, when the date of the ^'(*nue Street (yonferem-e arrived, there wen^ prescMit of oidained Klder8--iloseph (latclndl, David (hdp and l)ani(d Pickett only, Q.nd of Deacons -J. \V. iiyani. Kov. John lleynolds, also an KUler, and .J. 11. Huston, Deacon, were not present, Mitliodi^st lif^iscof'al ('/ifur/t in CiJ/(n/elle\ille, to which time and place it had adj(mrne ft'iii, and the (leneral (/oiiference was called to meet at what is now called Palermo, on the lothot' June, l.s;{."» ; hut owin^U to a misun«lerstandin<^ on the part, of some ot" th<' preachers as to date, thosti who had assemMed adjourned to meet ai.jain on the '-Tth, when, after diu' deld)eration, Hew .John Reynolds was elected to the ollice of (Jem'ral Superintenelle\ille, tonveniny on the hitliof June, |S;{(), IJishop lt(^ynf)lds presiding;, 'i'lie yeiir had heen one of severe toil to the pastors, hut it hud also heen oiu^ of ^reat suceeKs. The numher of ministeis had increased to t wenty-tVair, and the meniltership to 'JI,."^1M), a ^n'wi of 1,117, or nearly one hundred per cent. The work had Ikmmi carried on under the uxtst tryin<.' eir- cumstaiices. \\'ith(»ut churches or parsona^'es, and witli a > I l^ 108 Centennial of Canadian Methodism. . f '.t i wi(l«'ly swtt«>ro(l ineinhership, it must have l.ccn in tlir «ix«'r(;is(» of Iwroic /(»al that such aohievf'UK'iits wj-rc made. Hut fill' hU'Ksiiii^of (ioci atti'iidcd threachin<; the ( Jospel, and winnin*^ souls to tho cross of Christ. In the meantime, a suit was instituted l»y tlu' Trustees of the Waterloo Chapel to recover possession, the premises havin;( heen occupied since the Tnion hy the VV^esleyans. TIk^ case was tried in the (Jourt of (^uet'n's liench, and a decision obtained in favour of the plaintills, which decision was confirmed by thet ('ourt of .lu(l;,'es, Jud^e licdiinson alone dissent- in^'. Soon after, the Trust<'es of the Helleville Church instituted a sindlar suit, with a like verdict l»y the jury in their favour. Froni this decision the defendants appealed, i\,in\ a chan<(e havin<; heen made in tin- Court liy the r<^tirement of one of the jud^^es and the appointment of otluu's, tlu^ d his opinion that the pro[)ei'ty l»y ri;,dit l»elong<'d to tlie Methodist Kpiscopal Church, he felt himself' oblij^'ed to yield to the decision of tlu^ liigher court, and, ther«'fore, tlu5 Wesh»yans wer(i a^ain put in poss(!Ssion ot" that church also. Tiiat much bitterness of feeling |>re- vailed unch'r such i-ircumstances is not a matter of surprise, and that they should involve the mutual r<>criminations which characterized this period of Methodist history in Canada, and many years afterward, was, doubtless, also deeply reji^etted by the more devout uumuImu's of both denominations. We will not eidarjje upon a subject \\ hi. |i Mctliodist Episcopal CItnrch in Onidda. KiO was as satisfactory to the cnoniics of Motliodisni as it was injurious to tlieinsclves. Hai»y)ily tlios«^ days liavo lon;^ siiico passed away, and it is hoped tlicir had consecjuonccs, in so far as they atfected the relations t)f the two churelies, ai'e fully and forever (»l)literated. Sad as they were, they did not danipen the /.eal or weaken the devotion of the ^^^•lt Itody of ministers wlio wont forth ln'arin^ tin? piecious truths of the (lospel to tlie co;>;,'i('j,'ations awaitinif them, or wiiich tliey j^athtjred toj^ether throji^diout the land. Thouyh opposed to eat^h other, and ol'ten in much bitterness of spirit, Christian charity, and that veneration their .sueeesses and rurein'ss of lif<( have won for them, demands the Iwdief tha they wero honest in their convictions, and, therefore, wiiliout malice th dim )f inion. On Ix th sides there was much to justity the Kuiaciousness witii whicli each con- tended for the ri;,d»teousness of its cause. On the one hand, there was all th«5 force of sentiment whicli a connec- tion with tlu^ Wesleyanisnj of Kn^land, witli its record of ^'rand achievement and its lon;^ line of illustrious iieroos, could inspin*. 'I'lui system «»f ^'overnment was also more in harmony with tl»e preferences of both uiinisters and mem- h'l's, and immigrants also, who had heen accustomed to the views entertained in tiiis rcfj^ard hy tlie Mother Church in l'!n,L,'land. houhtless, too, it was a factor of no inconsider- alile cons(M|uence to many who had Im'oii accustonuHl to look upon the advanta^'es wliieh the patr./na<^t» of the State gav(» to the Kstahlishment in Kn^daiid, to find under the new order of things some measure of t!us men who. at im- mense j>ersonal sacrifice, refu^'d to abandon this principle, to deny tlutt only uni,'an to (l«'i,'tMU'rat<' fioiii her piiiiiitivo jturity ; that it was wIhmi rcliLcioiis ostalilishiiu'iits lomrnt'iiocd thoir cxistciu'c, that popish and con'Ui)t(lo« trims received thoir rouiiteiiauce and support in the ( 'limili ; tliat it was wlieii religions estahlislniieiits Ljot tlic voi^iie, that papal donuna- tion, w hii'h had crimsoned the Thristiaii woild tfoiii aj'e to au'f •oniHirnced her inffriia! sway That tl lese evi 1 CO nscijuciifes woidd follow the palroiia;^e of the State iiiiu'ht li«> prevented liy a L(racioiis j)roN idenc«M>peratiii^- upon an a^e of nioi'e eidiLChtened conscience, hut that su( }» was its tendency they held with sullicient comiction to hold them aloof ftnni it. The lirst ministers of theiio.spel h.id ht'cii .^upptirtcd h\ the freewill (dlerini^s of ('hristians. So Would they, 'i'he apostles had found it inexpedient to tratlic with the jtowers of this world, and they would follow their <'\;iiiiple ; and it is no small t-omplimcnt to their sense ot the propriety of the sr\eial hranchrs uf the Christian ('hur»h dep»'n«linii upon the loyalty of their own followers, that at the present time then- are few in <'ithfr Church or >tale in this th«' most juospt-rous of all the I'ro\in. rs, \\\ veen atlv«'i'se to tl leir claim to the (Mairch pruperty held iM'forr the Cnion. there was n(»thin^ left them t(» do hut to huild anew for tlu'ir a»'connuodatioi\, and to smh a purpose tlioti;,di most of their memhers and adherents were compHratively poor — they resfionded with th«« utmost p'lierosity. The Conference of ISM7 met at ( 'unimer s Church, Von;re ■fr" ' li' 172 Ccutcuuial of Ctinntfinn MctJio(iis)n. Stroot, on tho 2 1st of June, IWshop Reynolds presidinj^. Tlu> iiicrcusc in nu'inlMM'sliip (lurin<,' the year had heen 1,1. "ill, making a total of It,.')!'-. 'I he nunilter of preaehers stationed by the Conference was thirty four. These statistics ^ive results to the labours of the comparatively snuill nuii.hei* of workers which, in the face of the (lilliculties with which they iiad to contend, all'ord no insi;;nilicant coininent upon their zeai and fidelity. The next Conference met on tiie Ith of Septendier, at Sophiasluiry, I'dshop iieynolds presidin<;, Kev. tianu's Ri( har«l.son, afterwards liishop Iticiiardson, l)ein^' elected Set-retary. At this ( '(inference lliree of thu preacliers w(M'e granted a superannuated and thre(> a HUpernumeriu y r(>lation. The mendiership leported was Ij.MM, an increirse of 111, a lar;;e nuudter of the mendters haxin^r emi^rat(*d tu the United States durin;; tln' year. The ({(Mierid Confer enco was convened at the snii e time. The principal liusi nes8 transacted was in preparation for the celebration of the centenidal of Methodism. The lollowin;^' year was oihi of much success ; the memb(>rship rcjtorh'd at the ( 'onferenco held in Septendter, 1810, beinjLJ ^'^.Wl^"*^ an increase of T.'H. The ne.xt year, IHH, the ConfenMice met at Palermo, report in^ a membership of <>,Ull), an increase of 7-4 ; and in iSli' at Yonj^e Street, when a meml)ership of 7,r)r)r» was rt'portcrl, an incr<'as(f during the year of I,")!)!). This and the fon(>\viii<,' year were sea.so. s of ;^reat revival. Throuijhout the < 'huicli the lipirit of awakeiun^' had spread, the labours of the Church bein^' owned ami bles.sed of Cod everywhere. At the Con ference of ISI.'J, held at Sidney, twelve candidates were admitted on trial, and an incn-asc^ in the mend)ership of 1,324 was rejiorted, nuikin;* a total mend)ership of S,Sf<0. The (Jeneral (Conference was convcMied at the same place and time, the Annual Conference adjourning to allow the neccs- if'-' Mctliodist Episcof^al Clinrcli in Cauada. Vl^ siirv Inisinoss of the (ioiu-nil ('onf»'rene«' to l»e tiJinsactod. At't«'r (lur (lelilieration it w.is docided, tor j^'ood and sutlicieiit rciisons, to divide th«; Confcn-nce, the westerii part of tlio work Im'Imj,' named Niagara, and thee ast«'rn, liay of '^^uinte. Two important events took phice in the year 1S15. Kev. J. AUev, of the IWack lliver Conference of tlie Methodist Kpiscopal ('huri:h, havini; made the .i.(juaint;infe of a nurn- hcr of the juinisters r)f the (Jliureh durin;^ a visit to (.'anachi the year previous, and having won their admiration, was ir.vited, in view v.i the advanced years and iidirm health of liisliop |{eynohls, to accept the episcopal oHifo, to which he was duly elected a^ (he < leneral ( 'onference, lieid in (Irovo Church, in the tow.iship of Hope, In ( )ctol»er, lHir», and on Ml'' Hiihhdth following was duly ordained hy the imposi- tjfui of htinds of Hishop Ht-ynotds, I/avid (/ulpand i'hilander SmiMIi. His |j(enial ruanners, fervent piety on(* disease; setting in he was prostrated for months, during wjiicli lie experi- enced the most intense sull'erings, from which he w/is redeased hy death in the early part of .June, lMi7, less than two years after his election to the episcopacy. It was in the same year, IHif), that K(?v. Thomas \V^d>ster aiul Joseph Leonard issued the first numher of the Canmla ('hi'istitiH iicrt^', which was purcha.sed hy the Ceneral Conference in lMl7,tlius Ijecoming the organ of the Church. It was at lirst publisluMl hy Messrs. Webster and Leoiuird '.' '■.!' 174 Ccutciniial of Cnuadiati Methodism. lii lit \^i %':• t 4 ■■•i T'-s i in Cohour^'. hut upon its purdiaso hy the (iiMirnil (,^nt'er- encf», thliKlir(l from tlie I'ook Koouj until amalga- mated with the Cliristuiii, (I'lmni'mn upon the consumma- tion of the Union in July, 1SS4. The (juestion of hi;4l)er education is one in whicli Metho dism had always shown an interest wortljy of its great founder, whose indefatigahle lahours for the dilVusion of iii- telli;;enoe .'Muoug the masses were oidy exceeded —if exceedt'd at all — Ity his /.eal for their evangelization. In Hngland. in the United States, antl in Canada, at the earliest possible date the /eal and lilxirality of hoth ministers and laymen founded seminaries and colleges, where, under the control of men dev<»ted to the doctrines and usages of the Metho- dist Church, her sons and daughters were given the advan- tage of broader culture without heing exposed to the infhienee of those in otiu'r institutions who, if not directly iiostih; to her growth, were not likely to contribute any- thing to her advancement. Tiie Metliodist Episcopal Ciiurch in Canada was no exception to this distinguishing feature of our common Methodism, and, therefore, even in tin; weakest period of her history, never lost sight of her mission in this regard. 'I'he future e.stahlisjnnent of a .seminary, to be under her control and to be available to both sexes, was, therefore, for many years kept before her people, and became a tixed fact in 1857, when an Act of Incorporation was obtained from the Parliament of Canada, giving it a corpor- ate existence as " Belleville Seminary." The financial crisis which swept over the country at this time was seriously felt by the institution, whose resources were thereby much impaired ; but adversity only the more stimulated the zeal which had given the institution its i? i Mctliodist Ef^isi<''p(}l Cluirch in (\uiy the principle of voluntary support, thus disilaiminj^ the ri^ht — as it (loul»tt'd the expediency -<»f churches as such, to accept ;,'rants from the State out of the puhlic revenue, for the sup- port of institutions not subject to it^ manai^ennuit or con- trol, ant I established for denominational purposes as well as foi* the pi'omotion of hi^duu' edmatiiMi. I)oul»tl«'ss its pro- fessors might have had better remuneration foi- their ser- vices, ami th(^ institution been saxed from mucii emltarrass- meiit. if the Hoard hud availed itself of the governnn'Ut assistance, obtainal)le for the asking, l)ut tlie ^'hurch could not stultify itself by departing fri>ma principle for which it had contended during its whole history. In ISGU, it was atliliated with Toronto University as I'lelleville College, the ladies' department taking the minje of Ale.\amlra College, its students having all the advantage of tin; course prescrilx'd by the students of iJelleville College. In L'^G'o, a charter in Arts was procured, constituting the institution a university, (enlarged in 1S7U to all the faculties, in which capacity it tlid an invaluable service to botii the <"hurchand the country, its degrees commamling respect, and its graduates advancing to positions of influence and usefulness ih the learned professions, and in the various stations in life to whicii they devtjted themselves. At the I ! i| i i %^ # ^^^ ^\^% V] r^ / IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 I.I l^|2.^, 12.5 •50 "^ ' M^Bi s l& 110 1.25 1.8 ^ im Photographic Sciences Corporation ^ .^ ^•\ c\ iV \ i ». ;\ 33 WIST MAIH STREIT WMSTIR.N.Y. USSO (716) •73-4503 V fSM l\ i\ \ V t IM i ■ 1 176 Ce7itennial of Canadian MetJiodisni. Union of 1884 its charter was amalf^aniated with that of Victoria University, since which period it has been con- ducted as a collegiate institution, of much value and impor- tance to the Church. The death of Bishop Alley, in 1847, rendered the appoint- ment of a successor necessary, and the choice of the succeed- ing General Conference fell upon Rev. Philander Smith, whose earnest piety, administrative ability and acknowledged eminence as a preacher distinguished him, not only in his own Church, but in public estimation, as a man in every sense worthy of the high office to which he was elected. He served the Church with much self-denying zeal until 1870, when he was called to his reward He was elected to the episcopal oihce in 1847, and served in that capacity twenty-three years. At the General Conference iield at !St. David's in 1858, Rev. James Richardson was ele ted as his colleague, and though never acceptiujj remuneration, gave his eminent abilities and service to the Jhurch, until he, too, was called home at the advanced age of eighty-three years, dying in the year 1875, full of honours, and leaving to his family, the Church and country a memory fragrant with all those virtues which constitute a great and good man. At the General Conference held in Napanee, 1874, in view of the decease of Bishop Smith, and the advanced age of Bishop Richardson, it was decided to elect one of younger age to bear tlie duties and honours of the episcopal office, the choice falling upon Rev. Albert Carman, M.A., whose distinguislied success as President of Albert Jniversity had for many years given him prominence before the Church and country. With scholarly attainments, apostolic zeal and peerless executive ability, his life has been one of most exemplary devotion to the cause of God. AVith a coustitu- Methodist Episcopal CJiufch ifi Catiada. 177 tiou at all times suggesting the danger of exposure and unremitting zeal, he is yet, after a toilsome service for many years as President of Albert University, during which time he never seemed to think it possible lie could wear out, and since his election to the otlice of Bishop, and later on as General Superintendent of the Methodist Church — full of vigour, with the j)romise of inany years of usefulness before hiui. In a large measure growing out of the GCcumenical Con- terence held in London, England, in 1881, the agitation for a union of all the Methodist Churches — neither of which can justly claim to have been lirst — pressed itself upon the several bodies for their consider{»,tion. Fraternal delega- tions l)y an interchange of courtesy had done much to reconcile the dirTerences which had hitherto separated the several branches of the IMethodist fandly in Canada. In the autumn of 1882, the General Conferences of the MethocMst Episcopal Church and of the Methodist Church of Canada met in Hamilton, and the question of union became a live question, which could no longer find expression in the passing of meaningless resolutions. The question had also been before the Conferences of the Primitive Methodist and Bil)le Cliristian Conferences. Arrangements were made for a meeting of the IStanding Coujinittees of these several bodies, which, after some informal Conferences, at which not much of importance was accconiplished, it was decided to adjourn to a given date for a further Conferenc(i to be held in the Carlton Street Primitive Methodist Church, Toronto, with a view to a basis of union if such an issue should appear practicable. The meeting was held, and after deliberations, presided over by Bishop Carman, in which there was the evident ;|h.: i i |i n^ :■ -aw! It 178 Centennial of Canadian MetJiodisin. presence of the Divine Spirit inducing a spirit of fraternity, before which all obstacles disappeared, a basis of union was agreed upon, conceding to each denomination in a fair degree the central principles of its polity. This basis of union was subsequently submitted to the Quarterly Official Boards throughout the Dominion, and with remarkable unani'ijity was by them approved. It was then submitted to the higher courts of the contracting bodies — approved and consummated at the Union General Conference, held in Belleville in tiie fall of 1883. It did not take etlect, how- ever, until July 1st, 1884, it l)eing thought incompetent for this body to convey the property of the various churches to the united body, inasmuch as the constitutions of neither of the contracting bodies provided for its own dissolution, and therefore dangerous to attempt it in view of possible litiga- tion. In the meantime the matter was laid before the several Provincial Legislatures and before the Dominion Parliament, thus giving to any persons who might be opposed to the Union an opportunity to appear before these bodies in defence of their rights. No such opposition was, however, made, and therefore the necessary Acts of Parlia- ment were passed, and the Union legally consummated. At the time of Union the several Conferences of the Methodist Episcopal Church embraced 228 ministers, 25,671 members, 23,968 Sunday-school scholars, with church pro- perty valued at $1,523,514, most of which, excepting educa- tional institutions, and a few of the churches recently built in centres of population, was free from debt. At the consummation of union, Bishop Carman was elected one of the General Superintendents of the Methodist Church, and Rev. Dr. Stone, who had been for eight years editor of the Canada Christian Advocate^ and for a longer period MetJiodist Episcopal CJuirch in Canada. 179 agent of the Book Room at Hamilton, was elected associate editor of the Christian Guardian. In the foregoing, in view of the limited space allowed, it has not been practic.ible to trace from year to year the growth of the Methodist Episcopal Church, but enough has been stated to show that her progress had been marked with signal success j and at no time in her history was she in a better position to maintain her position and advance her growth than when in the providence of God, and we believe for the best interests of both Methodism and Canada, the wounds of division were healed and her resources con- solidated. If i'i |l|^i: I I I ; ! . ; HISTORICAL SKETCH OF Till- PRIMITUE METHODIST CHURCH IN CANADA. By Rev. J. Cooper Axtliff, D.D. THE Primitive Methodist Connexion was born iu the first decade of the present century in the county of Stafford, England, and its founders, under God, were Hugh Bourne and William Clowes. Both these godly men were originally local preachers in the We.r,leyan Methodist Church, but were expelled because they persisted in holding field- meetings contrary to the decision of the Church courts to which they were amenable. In adopting and carrying for- ward their aggressive plans of Christian work, they were moved purely by their fervent desires to save the multi- tudes, who were living in utter disregard of the services held in the buildings dedicated to divine worship. They were greatly influenced by the example of Lorenzo Dow, an eccentric minister from America, who visited England in 1807, and held camp-meetings in Cheshire and StafFord- shire with great success. The first camp-meeting held by Hugh Bourne was on May 31st, 1807, and was a season of much spiritual blessing ; the next was modelled after the American type, and lasted three days ; but the length of time was found inconvenient, and subsequently the service was not extended beyond a day. The converts of these new evangelists were urged to join such classes as were con- ( ! hi Y\ • i H i ■ !' "( Hi! : 1 : 1 lip i m ■ :l ■' ! i;l i iV' m i g f^; ■• H ■ '" ll^, ' it 1 • . Is J: 1 '"1 ; ,/ ,|i 1 f • !'■ \' ' 1 -> , 182 Centennial of Canadian Methodism. venient to them in the Wesleyan Societies of the neighbour- hood in which they lived, and this was done, till the Super- intendent minister of the Burslem Circuit refused to accept as members some ten persons, who had been converted under the labours of Hugh Bourne and his co-workers, unless they pledged themselves to have no connection with those who had been the agents of their conversion. To these severe terms they would not consent, and the result was they formed the nucleus of a new denomination, much to the regret at the time of Hugh Bourne himself, who, like the venerable founder of ]\lethodism, John Wesley, had no thoughts whatever in the beginning of his work of founding a separate denomination. Tiiis first class was formed at the village of Standley, in March, 1810 ; after this the number of Societies rapidly increased, and in September of tiio same year their united membership amounted to 13G. In February, 1812, the first printed plan was issued, and the name Primitive Methodist taken ; all the Societies were included in the Tunstall Circuit till the year ISlii, when it was divided, and Derby became the head of a separate circuit, which, how- ever, was superseded shortly afterwards by Nottingham. In 1818 Loughborough was made a separate circuit. The work of God spread with amazing rapidity, for in the space of a year and nine months not less than seventy-five towns and villages were missioned in the counties of Not- tingham and Leicester, and societies formed. In 1819 a meeting was held in Nottingham to consider th3 advisability of holding a Conference, and the following year the first Conference of the denomination was held in Hull. The following year, at the Conference iield in Tunstall, it was found the Connexion contained sixteen circuits, and the Priuiitivc Methodist Church in Canada. 183 number of members was 1G,394, having more tlian doul)led during the year. This Conference, among other wise reso- lutions, decided to establisli a liook room and printing office, which were shortly afterwards commenced :.t Bemersley, where they continued till 1843, when the Connexional publishing establishment was removed to London. In the following year, 1822, the good work spread on all sides, and amongst other places reached Brampton, in Cumberland. Here was living at the time Mr. William Lawson, a local preacher, class-leader and steward of the Wesleyan Society in the place. A friend of Mr. Lawson, James Johnson, of Carlisle, a Primitive Methodist, had written him a letter ahout the work this infant denomination was doing, and also had enclosed a copy of the church i>olity, and otiered to send a Primitive Methodist missionary to preach at Brvimpton if desired. This offer was accepted, but as the preacher that was to take the appointment could not till it, Mr. Johnson went himself. He was accompanied to the service held in the open-air by Mr. Lawson. At this ser- vice, which was marked by much spiritual power, several professed conversion. For attending this meeting, Mr. Law- son was, the following Tuesday, exp Med from Society; but this action of the Superintendent minister not being sus- tained at the preachers' meeting held the following day, a ving year, he was appointed its Secretary, and was .also appointed Secretary of the Connexional General Committee, which office he filled till 1858, when the Rev. John Davison took the position. By the arrangement made with the English Conference, the Canadian Conference stationed its own preachers and con- ducted its own missionary operations. It ha(J the right of appointing two representatives to the English Conference — one minister and one layman — who were chosen either from •J» Primitive MctJiodist Church in Canada. 197 brethren in England or in Canada as was found convenient. The following matters were laid before the English Confer- ence : Special and important business, a full report of the numerical and financial state of the Canadian work, the stations of the ministers, the nam«'S of ministers ordained and received as probationers. When these matters passed through the Conference they were published in the English Minutes, the same as their own business, the Church in Canada being regardeci c*,s an integral part of the Connexion. A grant of money was annually made, which was put into the hands of the Canadian Missionary Committee to dis- tribute as it deemed best. By the Conference of 1859 Brampton was made the head of a new district, so that now there were three districts : Toronto, Brampton and Hamilton. The following year the districts were again rearranged, and three new ones made — Guelph, London and Kingston. Barrie was, some years afterwards, added to the list, n\aking a total of seven. This number there was at the Union of 1883. The success realized during the years 1850-1800 was obtained by God's blessing on faithful work and enterprising zeal. The mes- sage of salvation was carried to the pioneer settlers in parts of the country being newly opened, but where now are to be found prosperous communities and strong churches, who in their turn are providing means to send forth the Gospel to the regions beyond. To accomplish this aggressive work, an increased number of regular ministers was required, and, as is shown by the statistics, the number was increased almost threefold. Some of these ministers were sent from England by the General Missionary Committee, and others were called to the work by the Canadian Conference. Amongst these brethren, several of whom have occupied the highest » t 1 i .J X i M J 198 Centennial of Canadian Methodism. I s. positions in the gift of the Church, and \vho were still working for the Master when the union took place, may be mentioned, the Revs. R, Cade, J. Milner, J. Markham, George Wood, John Garner, \Vm. Bee, J. Smith, J. Good- man, Wm. Herridge, and W. S. Hughan. At the Conference of 1860 it was decided to station the preachers by a Stationing Committee, composed of an equal nuniber of ministers and laymen ; heretofore this business had been done at the May District Meetings, which plan, on account of the small number of ministers in each district, was found inconvenient and unsatisfactory. In the year 1860 the jubilee of the whole Connexion was celebrated ; Canada joined in this celebration and devoted the monetary proceeds chiefly to commencing a new mission called the " Jubilee Mission," which afterwards developed into three circuits: Wingham, St. Helens, and Grey. The following table shows the progress of the cause since 1860 ; the first column gives the number in 1870, and the second in 1883 — the last Conference held before the con- summation of union : — 1870. 18S3. Travelling Preachers 81 9!|l Local Preachers 263 M Class Leaders 320 299 Members of Society 6,432 8,090 Sabbath -schools 130 152 Scholars 7,833 9,065 Connexional Churches 193 231 Other places of Worship 167 Wh Parsonages 25 8|| Value of Church Property ^188,925 $403,346 Debt on " " 60,298 During this period, 1860-1883, the work of consolidation and extension made progress, if not rapidly, yet surely. Primitive Methodist Church in Canada. 199 wrn^ Owing to the niigrutory habits of the people, l^rge numbers wlio were converted and influenced for good ren^oved to parts of the Dominion in which there were no Primitive Metliodist Societies, and consequently other evangelical churches were benefited by their adhesion. The want of an educational establishment for the training of young minis- ters was keenly felt, and the Rev. Thomas Crompton com- menced a Theological Institution in a humble way; but after doing good work for a year or two, it was given up. When the Jubilee of the introduction of the denomination in Canada was celel)rated, in 1879, a fund, amounting to several thousand dollars, was raised for the assistance of burdened trusts, and to assist in building new cliurches and parsonages. As grants and loans were ma:le conditionally on the trustees and friends connected with needy churches making increased efforts to help themselves, the operation of the fund was highly beneficial. In 1873 a catastrophe happened the Connexion, by tlie burning down of the church on Alice Stree , Toronto, a large and beautiful building, which had taken the place some years previously of the old Church on Bay Street. Under the ministry of the Rev. Thomas Cuttery, who liad come from England in 1871, this church had been abundantly blessed, and the very week before the tire occurred a meeting had been held to consider the subject of its secoiid enlargement. But the misfortune was overruled for good, for the trustees took steps to erect on a better site a building more suited to the needs of the growing church, and the result was that Carlton Street Church was erected, at a cost of about $50,000, and an organ worth about $6,000 was placed in the new building. The school-rooms attached to the Carlton Street Cliurch were large, and well adapted to the purpose, and the Rev. ' m ■ fr. 200 Centennial of Canadian MetJiodism. "4 ■. Dr. Rice pronounced them the best arranj,'ed for their pur- pose of any in Canada. Tlius, the Mother Church of the Connexion iu Canada, liad for its steward for many years Mr. Robert Walker, who continued in unbicken member- ship with it from the organization of the first class, in 1830, till his death, in 1885. By his labours and his means he did not a little to gain for himself the universal love and respect of the whole of the Church in the Dominion, which looked up to him as a father. His efforts to promote the cause of God were earnestly seconded by his family. His eldest son, John, was an official of the churcli for several years before his death, which occurred in Manchester, Eng- land, by being thrown from a horse. He passed away at the age of thirty, singing a hymn of holy triumph. His secoi.d son, R, Irving Walker, was a worker in the Sunday- school, and also a class-leader and local preacher. He suc- ceeded, on his father's death, to the place of Church Stew- ard, which he retained till the time of his too early death, at the age of fifty-one, which occurred in March, 1890. The Connexion has had amongst its laity men of whom any church might well be proud. Amongst a number too large to name may be mentioned: W^. Marshall, of Bramp- ton ; J. Green, of Orangeville ; \Vm. Wilkins, of Gait ; Isaac Wilson, of Albion : Lewis W. Purdy, of Sydenham ; Wm. Trebilcock, of London; and T.M. Edmondson, Jos. Kent and John Bugg, of Toronto. Most of these honoured brethren have passed over the river, though some remain to this day. The good man, whose name has so often occurred in this sketch, Mr. Wm. Lawson, after laying the foundation of the Connexion in Toronto, removed in 1834 to Brampton, which was named by him after his English home. He purchased a farm, and carried on a country store. In 1847 he re- moved to Hamilton, where, with his two sons, he carried on 'I rnmitivc MctliiHiist Cliurcli in Canadn. 201 a Ifii'^ie clolliiiij' bus'ness Here .•igain he was tlie chief agent in ()rij;anizing a Primitive Methodist Church. The hist Coulerenee he attended was that of 1871). As he had not been at Conference for several years previously, l>is presence was cordially greeted by his old friends. He took a conspicuous part in the business, and showed himself the '- Ru|i(!rt. of debate." One who was present says : " The powei' and earnestness with which he spoke surprised even his most intimate friends, and greatly delighted tliem." But his end was drawing near. On January 31st, 1875, he attended the sacramental service in the Hamilton Ciiurch, and, hy lecjuest of the pastor, he offered the closing prayer. On Februarv 11th he was taken sick at the home of his daughter, in Hamilton, and on the 16th of the same month he departed to be with Christ, being in iiis eighty-second year. His name will long live in the memory of the Church, and the hundreds to whom he was a spiritual father, and who were " his crown of rejoicing." Perhaps it is but right to add a few words concerning the ministers who have held positions of especial prominence in the denomination ; and on this list an honoured place should he given to the Rev. Robert Boyle, who, after a remarkably successful ministry, was superannuated, on account of fail- ing health, in 1878. Mr. Boyle, who was converted when a youth from the Roman Catholic faith, has held the highest positions in the gift of his brethren, and his name is beloved in all parts of Ontario in which he has ministered the Word of Cod. The Rev. James Edgar, M.D., in the early years of his ministry, which commenced in 1848, was a mighty preacher at camp-meetings. He was a man of re- tined tastes and gentle disposition. After his superannua- tion he practised as a physician in Toronto, and was £^ 14 i i: •202 Coitcnuial of ( ;anio union of the .Methodist denominations heijan to he eonsideird, thei-e was a wide- spread feelinuf in the Primitiv*' Methodist (Muirch that tiie time had oome in (Jod's provi(hM\ee forth*' Methodiscn of the Dominion to hei'ome a unit. Tiie Conference of ISSl', hy resolution alliinied, "The desirahility and possil)ility of tin* unitication of Metiiodism in this land, and appointed a Committee to meet and confer with any Connuittee appointed hy other Methodist C'huiches to prepare a l»asis of union."' Aftei* a hasis had heen for- nudated, it was suhmitted to tlie societies throui^hout the Connexion, and was appro\ed hy a hni^e majority. The En ee heini^ in England, was desired hy the Canadian Missionary Comndttee to closf up 'he nds- sio!iary l)usiness with the Kn^t, and forty miles north and south, inhabited by a large popula- tion—there were but three Dissenting chapels, built a hun- dred and fifty } ears before by the ejected Puritans, and only two known Evangelical clergymen. Bull-baiting and cock fighting were common amusements, while crick(>t and hunting and wrestling were the frequent sports of Sabbath afternoon, ending often in the grossest drunkenness and profanity. A considerable portion of the clergy delighted in hunting and wrestling and card-playing and fighting and dancing. Instances of drunkenness and the most flagrant vices were not rare among them. As may be well supposed, where clerical iniquities so abounded the majority of the people were ignorant alike of the nature and necessity of experimental religion. A single service in the parish '■ I i 11' %\ ■M u \m 206 Centennial of Canadian Methodism. church oil Sundays afforded the only opportunity of attend- ing public worship in many parishes, and that service was often conducted hy a clergyman who had folloved the hounds, or been at wrestling matches or piize tights, or drunken revels with his parishoners, during the week. Many, even of the well-to-do farmers, could neither read nor write. Bibles were both dear and scarce, and seldom read. Schools were scarce ; cheap religious books there were none, and a newspaper could hardly be found in the county. Sabltath schools or meetings for prayer were utterly unknown. It was a common opinion that Jews and heathens needed conversion, but those who were born in a Christian country and had been baptized and confirmed needed none, and that only fanatics pr tended to experience the forgiveness of sins. Truly, it might have been said, darkness hatli covered the land, and gross darkness the people. It was amid this manifest religious apathy and moral profligacy of the people, and the utter incapacity of the clergy to supply the spiritual needs of the people, that the Bible Christian Church came into existence in Shebbear, Devon, England, October 29th, 1815. William O'Bryan, the founder, in the providence of God, was a Wesley an Methodist local ])reacher, in the Bodmin Circuit, Cornwall. In the autumn of 1815, Mr. O'Bryan had been filling appointnients in the Stratton Mission, and whih' thus engaged a friend told him he knew of more than twenty adjoining parishes in the county of Devon in which there were no Methodists or Dissenters and the people were in a most deplorable state of irreligion and ignorance. This led Mr. O'Bryan to embrace the earliest opportunity of visiting several of those parishes and witnessing the terrible spiritual destitution of the people. After preaching at one, Bible Christian Church. 207 Shebbear, he formed a socifjty of between twenty and thirty members. One opening speedily led to another, societies increased, a number of zealous labourers were raised up, and the work grew and multiplied. The next autumn a great revival of religion commenced in Moorwinston and spread rapidly and widely over a considerable portion of Devon and Cornwall, twelve hundred p ofessing conversion within fifteen months from the formation of the first society. One instance may be given of the manifest power of God at that time. At their earliest, if not their, first, Love-feast, when only a few had spoken, the power of God rested upon them so mani- festly that people were in distress in every part of the large crowded barn. Some were seeking for pardon, others for full satictitication. The meeting continued all night, when they adjourned for a slight breakfast, after which the meet- ing recommenced and lasted until two o'clock, during which time fifty had obtained peace with God, and many others sanctification. In 1819, the societies and preachers had so increased that it was considered proper to hold a conference, which con- ference was called together at Baddash, Launceston, Corn- wall, August 17th, 1819. This Conference, representing over two thousand members, divided the work into twelve circuits and sent forth thirty itinerant preachers— sixteen male and fourteen female — to minister to them. At th'i Conference of 1821, held at Shebbear, the Bible Christian Missionary Society was formed. The receipts of the society for the first year amounted to £92 19s. 7d. At the Conference of 1831, the deed of enrolment and a consti- tution was framed, so that the denomination properly took rank as a religious body, h-gallv secured with its clio.«en ^iii 1. 1 ■ .V 20S Coitctniinl of Canadian Methodism. name and polity. The denomination was from the tirst dis- tinctively evangelical, distinctively Methodistic, distinctively liberal in church government, ministers and laity having equul rights in all church courts. It was from this Conference at Hick's Mill, Cornwall, August 4th, 1831, that two mission- aries were sent forth to open missions in North America. It required no little courage and faith for a small deiomi- nation of 6,050 members, whose annual income that yeai- to the Missionary Society was only £104 4s., with a mis- sionary debt of X66 burdening it, to send out two mission- aries to America. But their confidence in God and the people was not misplaced. The response to the appeal for funds was liberal and hearty, so that the missionary int'ome for the next year was £264 12s. 8(1., enabling tin; committee to discharge the debt and pay th(Mr way. The missionarie.s sent were J-ihn Glass to Canada West, tand Francis Metherall to Prince Edward Island. John Glass soon yielded to discouragement and left the work, so that the next year another was sent out. Francis Metlierall, with his wife and two children, embarked at Plymouth for Prince Edward Island, September 5th, 1831, but after two weeks the ship sprung a leakaiid had to return to Plymouth for repairs. The next spring, April 23rd, Mr. Metherall and his family re-embarked, and after a voyage of two months, landed at Bedeque, Prince Edward Island, June 26th, 1832. After some difficulty, he found a few friends at Union Road, and Winslow Road, and the neighbourhood of Charlottetown, and commenced services in dwelling- houses, or barns, or in the open-air, as opportunity opened. Nine years of the most heroic and self-sacrificing sprvice in the ministry in England had fitted Mr. Metherall for yet more arduous and self-denying labours abroad. His circuit IHhlc Christiaii Church. 209 soon became a very large one ; his tirst year's returns were forty-seven members. At the close of the second year he returned sixty members, v ith thirty-six preaching places. The work so grew and extended that the following year an assistant, Philip James, was sent to the Island. John Hicks Eynon was appointed to Upper Canada by the Conf(;rence of 18152, and sailed from Liverpool, October the 7th. But the vessel encountered such a succession of storms, that it was finally driven back, and reached Cork Harbour, November 28th. The missionary landed his b xes containing his library and possessions, and put them, as he supposed, in safe keeping, but the boxes were stolen, and the owner never saw them after. Mr. Eynon returned to England for the winter, and on the following March (18th), married Elizabeth Dart. 1'his marriage had a most impor- tant influence on the Canadian mission. Elizal)eih Dart was the first of the fourteen female preachers .-^ent out by the first Bible Chris; ian Conference. She had laboured with great zeal and success in the work in England, was the instrument in God's hands, of the conversion of Mr. E}non. With her Mr. Eynon had been in correspondence over five years, and would have married her before he tirst left Eng- land, but for a misunderstanding. She was not at all sur- prised to see hiu) return, for she had an impression that he would never reach America without her. With this excel- lent woman as his wife, Mr. Eynon sailed from Padstow, Cornwall, May 1st, 1833, in the brig Dnlnsia, and after a long and stormy vogage reached Quebec, June 17th. Mr. William Hockings, Miss Daniel and others, who had settled in Quebec, urged Mr. Eynon to stay and open a mission there, where there was a good [)rospect and much need; but ■\\. n I f II 1 m > i I 210 Centennial of Canadian Metliodisnt. his appointment was to Upper Canada, anettlers when returning from their meetings, a id some narrowly escaped with their lives by reaching the shelter of their shanty, and watching anxiously through the night. Yet through all the difficulties that met them, the missionaries faithfully pressed on to a successful and God-crowned end, hi Ihblc Christian C/iurc/i. 211 their life being given in unliesitating and complete dedi- cation to the service of God and the well-being of their fellotvnien. And no evil was permitted to bt fall them, no wild beasts to devour them, nor any plague to come nigh their dwelling. At Cobourg, Mr. Eynon erected a small church, and opened it Sunday, March 5th, 1836, which was twice enlarged, and then gave place to a better and larger brick church. At Precious Corners, the second church in the country was built, and dedicated July 3rd, 1836. The number of members in church fellowship had now increased to 181, and another missionary (John Kemeys) was sent out. The work c aitinued to grow and extend, until yet another missionary (John Edward^) was sent out in 1839. A division of labour was niade, in some measure, the j.ext year, but nothing like a circuit division until three years later, when Philip James and Robert Huntley arrived to increase the missionary supply. Then they outlined circuits, to which the missionaries were regularly appointed, though the circuits were larger than many of our districts to-day. In the fall of 1844, Thomas Green and .). B. Tapp arrived from England, increasing the number of missionaries to seven, when the work was further divided into four stations, and one of their number appointed to open a fifth mission. The number of members had increased to 625, and the work was being rapidly pushed forward in every direction. To us it seems strange that people should travel from Darling- ton, Whitby, Cavan, and other distant places, to the quarterly love-feast at Guideboard (Welcome), when the roads were so few and the difficulties of travel so many. But these seasons were to the scattered friends times of precious re-union and holy communion and power. God was with them in a wonderful way to convert, to tanctify, A ! ff ,1 H 212 Ccntcfiuial of Cn Indian Methodism. so that tlii'V rcttiriKMl fr-'in tlirs«> srr\in's rrt'io.slicd iiiid inspin»(i iiuiotMl. Tho preaching and sorvicos of those times, thouj;h for thr most part held in Io;r srhool-housos, and dwcllinjjfs, and barns, wtM'o attended with great power and many eonver sions as many as twenty liaving found peace at one serviee. In tlie midst of special sei'vices coiiducted hy the brethren Kemeys and Kd wards, at thet first church built in Hope, on tln'ir way to the service one evening a noise was heai-d at some distance^ in the woods, which was found to be a man crying to (lod in one direction and three wonn-n in anoth»>r. Whilst at the meeting that followed, the power of (lod was so overwhelming that tlie whole congregation were moved. In some instances tiit^ most unlikely places were opened for preaching, and the most unlikely people became friends and helpers of the missionaries. As in the case of John Edwards opening tlu^ mission in the townships back of Belleville. He obtained the bar-room of an Irish tavern-keeper by the roadside for his first service, and presently the tavern-keeper and all his fnmily became con- verted. The tavern was changed into a house of Cod, the family became active workers in the cause of religion and temperance, and a society of forty-six members was formed, all of whom became total abstainers. It would be pleasant to call up the names of some of the earliest members of the Church in this country: the Jennings, Hoars, Courtices, Dobles, Harpers, Rundles, Elliots, Smales, Collings, Masons, Elfords, Vanstones, Clarks, and others, and to recount their sacritices for the young cause, and their great kindness and devotion to the missionaries, would space permit ; for out of their poverty they often gave all they had to help the work along, and put themselves to lUbli' ( hristidn ( linnli. 2i;i any porsouul inconvcniciicrf a»ul su(M'ifi«M! to €!nt« rtain mikI supply tlu' wantH of tlu' sj-rvaiitH (»f (iod. I^'or many ycarw aftn- tlir tnissioiis wcro ()p«'n<'(l, (^H|i(M'ially tin- l»a<-k statioiiH, nionry was «'X(;('('(lin)»ly Hcan;*-. It was (litlicult tor iho funiHTH to i:«'t money for tlM'ir [)i'o(lu(;«', \vhil«' tlw roa< of th«- Province were lost to the denomimition. We blame no one. The liome Conference, at much self-sacrifice, did all it could with its limit(!d means and numbers and men, and the giowing demands of the work in other mission fields of the world ; V)ut the fact remains, that the lack of a sufficient number of good men at the time seriously limited the operations of the denomination in Canada, In 1849, Cobourg ceased to draw financial aid from England. In 1850, Darlington hIso ceased to receive help. In 1852, the surplus on Cobourg, Darlington and Peterboro' Stations, with the missionary receipts, completely met the deficiencies on the other stations, so that from that date Canada ceased to receive financial aid from Englajid and became self-supporting. In 1852, the field in Canada was divided into three dis- tricts for the convenience and advantage of the work. In June, 1 853, a general meeting of the preachers and representa- tives of these districts vvas held in Bowmanville; but this and the following general meeting, held in the same place the next year, did not claim the status and le^^islative functions of a Conference. They met for mutual advice, encourage- ment and report, and to exchange work. But this arrange- ment led to a lengthy correspondence and some misunder- standings witli England. England feared that Canada was 2U) Centctmial of Canaduui Methodism. t\ seekin«5 jx'rfect indeppiulence. To allay all irritation and reniov»^ all niisundorstandin^s, and arrange with Englnnd, Paul Jiobins was sent to the* English Conference of 1854 as a deputation from Cnnadi. Mr. I{<.ltins was received with great resjx'ct, and treated with every personal courtesy and consid<':ralion, yet he felt his task was a ditHcult one, and that thr hrethren in Eiigland greatly misinterpreted the action and spirit of the hrethren in Canada. It was finally agreed by this Conference in England, to grant to Canada a separate Confen'nce, with a con titution identical with their own, and full control over Provincial aflairs. The Canadian Conference remaining in close and hearty aftilia- tion with the part nt Conference and remitting to them one- tenth ot' their missionary receipts, which remittance ceased ten years after l>y mutual agreement, when tlie Prince Edward Island District was taken intf> the Canadian Con- ference, and Canada assumed its financial res{)onsibili;ies. The Hrst Canadian Conference duly and regularly con- stituted met at Columbus, June 7th, IJ^').") The numl»et of preachers at this time was twenty-one ; churches, tifty-one ; other preaching places, 104 ; members, 2,180 ; converted in the year, 24G. Tlu members of this Conference wer. Paul Robins, J. H. Eynoti, A. Morris, J. B Tapp, T. (ireen, II. Hurley, W. Hooper, li. L. Tucker, J. Hodgson, preachers ; J. King, J. Vanstone, W. Orr, John Dix, 11. Allen, W. Robins, repr* sentatives ; John Pinch and Henry Stephens were received into full connexion John Hooper, S P. Robins, David Cantlin and T. R. Hull were received as candidates for the ministry at this time. The Conference was a very profitable and harmonious one, and the denomi nation in Canada from this entered upon a new era, and took a new departure. From henceforth they must rely on them- I and [iHud, 1 854 eived irtesy one, (leted I was lilt to iitical The ittilia- iii one- ceased Prince I Con- ies. con- fer of -one ; ted in Paul n, II. hers ; ,w; hens S P. ed as irence touii took hem < ■J H < tti U a" > 3S r. ♦«, ; < 'A as aa Q O Il "" ! :a-'« u i .:i: J I lUblc Christian CInirch. 217 selves for financial support, ministerial supply, and the wisdom ami experience that ."-hall safely try and self-improvement, kr), Prince Kdward Island District was united to Canada. IJ^» to this time the Island work had been under the control and din^^tion of the l^iUglish Oonf«'rence. Kran- cis Metherall and his co-labourers had worked on the Island with good success, everything considered. Their tnost pros- perous year was IS 1.^-1, in which they re[)orted an increase ofMr)l menibers, after a, most extensive and remarkable revival. From that date their work extended into the south-eastern portion of the Island, so that they occupied a field of nearlv I 10 miles long, from the western extremity to Three Rivers and Murray Harbour. Over this extensive; tield they travelled by the blazed path through the woods, or by the aid of logs and fallen trees over the swamps, or by following the shore when the tide was out ; crossing the rivers at the head of the tide-waters, or fording the channels as best they could. Sometimes hungry and weary, and well nigh exhausted, with nothing but potatoes for their scanty meal. Yet these holy and heroic men remained steadfast in their work, inspired with a passion for the sal ration of nien and the glory of God. And ever foremost in (h'votion, or (Midurance, or dutv, or .self sac li lice, was Mr. '^Mi; i i - ill Bible Chris tint! CJiurch. 219 Mctlicnill, thf» fathor and Icador of thopioiifor hand. Krorn K'l^^Iaud worthy hcijuTS w«Tt' H(M»t tf> the iHlaiid, anion;; wlioin vvon^ th(! In'fthicn Calloway, llarriH and (ial*! ; but two of Mr. Mi'thorall's inont vahiaMc assistantH in thr work were th«^ fruit of his own nii.s.sionai'v lahours on the Island, .John \V. l»ut(!lMT and J(!ss<* \Vhitlot;k, who were most suc- cessful and honoured in their work, and rendered a ;;reat hlessin^ to Imndreds of people. On Mr. Methcrall's strong constitution th(^ hard work and exposure of missionary life he^an at last to tell so seriously, that he was compelled to ur^'e on thf' Kurdish authorititis the appointment of a sue. cesaoi' to take char;^e of the superintendeneark(!r was sent from lOn^- land to take charge of the Island stations, and Mr. Mether- all, after twenty-five years of Ial)orious missionar'v s«'rvice, was at last relieved of all iTsponsihility, and soon after was permitted to enjoy a well earned rest from pastoral labour, till in ^reen old a<^e he was translat«'d to the king- dom and rest of h'-aven. Mr. Barker did an exeellcMit work on the Island (luring his nine years' residencft. A ;;ood church was l>uilt in Charlottetown, and sfxne others at dirt'enmt places through hi.s exertions. .\ very ^^racious revival was realized in ISfiO, in which some remarkable con- versions occurred, and some wonderful illustrations of the savinjLf power of (»od and the transforming mlluence of the (Jospel wert^ se(ui. When the Island stations wer«' attached to (!anada, in IHOf), and became^ one of the districts of the ('anadian Conference, C<*phas Barker was transferred to Ontario, and John Chappie was sent to J^riiice Kdward Island. The remarkabh^ prosperity of tlie « ork on tin* Island under Mr. Barker did not continue during' Mr. Chap- pie's superintendence. Mr. Chappie was ;i moat devoted Vi ■ i 220 Centcuuial of Catuxdtan Methodtsm. i( :<^ j 5 : M 1 '«!: i it < H ill i^iii I man, a jn;ood preacher, n good pastor, much estoeniod every way, hut not specially suited to tlu; superintendence of the work of that district, and, consetpiently, the cause somewhat declined on the Island, .and considernhh^ financial difficulty accumulated during the tive years of his supervision. In 1870, Mr, Ohapple was relieved, and (Jeorge WehlxT was stationed in C^harlottetown, and appointed SuperintcMident of the Island. During the five }ears of Mr. Wehher's superintendence, the Island enjoyed great prosperity. Several new churches and parsonages were built, and for the first time in the history of the Island, churches opened free of debt, others were renovated, some burdensome debts were paid otl', followed by gracious revivals, and a consider- able addition to the membership. The strong and prosper- ous district left bv Mr. Webber in 1875, remained at about the same under his excellent successors, W. S. Pascoe and John Harris, until it united with the Nt;w Jirunswick and Prince h]dward Island Conference at the Union of 1884. In 180."), Prince Kdward Island becoming an integral part of the Canadian work, the number of churches was 132, minis- ters 54, members 5,000 ; missionary income slightly over $4,000; showing that in all its vital statistics the denomina- tion had more than doubled in the ten years since its first Conference. Perfect accord with England was now enjoyed, and as a result Canada received, within a few years, several excellent ministers from the home Conference, much to her advantage every way. From this date on, an active liberal effort to erect larger and more connnodious and expensive churches was energetically made. The noble church built at Bowmanville, in 1858, gave inspiration and help to others for many years, notably the large and expensive church built in Toronto, in 1874. Many splendid churches were h'Bn ^ Bible Christian C/iurch. 221 built in different parts of the denomination in the later years of its independent existence - an abidinj^ tiihute to the liberality of the people, the zeal and self-sacriiicc of the ministry, and the healthy spiritual and financial condition of the body. At the time of union, tln.'re were 181 churches and 55 parsonages, valued at $400,000, on which the total debt was about $50,000, or one-eighth of its value. The statistical and numerical increase did not always show the same upward tendency. Eighty ministers, 7,400 members, and about 30,000 adherents at the time of union, was a strong proof of the growth and power of the denomination. But that progr(?ss was not always uniform and invariable, or without elements of misgiving and concern. The years ending with the (.'onferences of 1874, 1876, 1877 and 1881 were the most prosperous years, 1877 returning the largest increase of all. Whih; as early as 1873 the loss of 517 members, by removal beyond the bounds of the denomination, began to awaken anxiety, it was in the years 1878, 1879 and 1880 that these removals became so many as to cause deep concern. To prevent this loss in part, and to assist in spreading vital godliness throughout the land, the denomination njade great efforts in its last years to extend in many directions. In connection with this extension movement, Manitoba was entered a*:* a mission field in 1879, and missions established in the Prairie Province. The most notable departure of the denomination in the latter epoch of its history was the publication of the Obnfirver, as a connexional weekly paper, in 18G6, and the subsequent purchase of printing plant and presses and an establishment, and the setting up of a denominational publishing house, under the management of Cephas Barker. The publication Um i, I* ; Il!l !l 222 Centcunial of Canadian Mctliodism. of a weekly pap(M* by the Church, lor its peophi, was wise and necessary <>very way, and the editorial nianageuient of the Ohseri^er and the Sahhatli-school papers was able and excell(>nt from tirst to hist. Mr. liarU(!r, as editor for four- teen years, and Mr. II. J. Nott for three years, wen^ hoth an unqualilied success as editors. Tlieir leadin*^ articles were written with great care, and siiowed marked talent and culture. 'riiey wrote largely for the paper, and always well. The tone of the paptT was good, and elevated, and Christian ; broad in its catholicity, pure in its morality, free in its criticism, bold iii its stand for the right, resolute against meanness and wrong, unswerving in its advocacy of sound evangelical doctrines, and unfaltering in its devotion to duty. In the editors, drunkenness, gambling, fraud, hypocrisy, and all manner of evil, found unsparing foes ; and^ temperance, benevolence, charity, integrity, honour, nobleness, and eveiy form of practical goodness, found steadfast friends. I have never known a paper with a loftier moral tone or more worthy of uniform conmienda- tion, and it uncpiestionably was made a great blessing in its day. But the business management, under Mr. Barker, was a sad loss, and involved the denomination in consider- able financial straits. As a preacher, Mr. Barker had few equals ; he was a prince and a great man in the pulpit, and as a man and a Christian he was one of the noblest of men, but as a financial guide he erred. Because of this, the denomination became heavily in debt, beginning in 1871 and culminating in 1880, with an executive liability of $55,000. In the connexional year of 1880-81, the denomi- nation so liberally responded to an appeal made, that $30,000 were subscribed and paid in a few months ; whilst the annual income of the Missionary (Society and other liihle Christian Cliurcli. 22:i funds, from this on, so increased from year to year that a v(!ry jxirctiptihie decrease of the r(!mainin<^ (lel»t was made by the surplus income over expenditure, so that it may l)e correctly said, that at tlie time of union the d(;nomination stood w(?ll, witli a most hopeful outlook. It had been involved heavily l)y departing from its earlier traditions, but it had made a suiireme, a self-sacriiicinj.; etfort to discharge its liabilities, with marked success and blessing. The eighteen brethren who enjoyed the special distinction of being chosen President of the Conference and of the (Jon nexion from the first to the thirtieth Conference, were Paul Robins, J. B. Tapp, R. Hurley, T. Green, John Chappie, \V. Hooper, Joseph Hoidge, Cephas Jiarker, \V. S. Pascoe, David Cantlin, Jesse Whitlock, William and John Kenner, Edward Roberts, George Webber, William Jollifle, J.J. Rice, and Archiliald Clark. Some of these brethren wen; chosen to this honour twice, and even thrice. Whilst this list does not by any means include all the specially gifted and leading ministers of the denomination in Canada, it does include some of the most able and talented leaders of the Bible Christian Church during the fifty years of its distinctive existence. If space would permit, it would be a pleasant task to give a brief sketch of the life and leading character- istics of each one, v/ith other worthy names that would be added, but the assignee limit of space forbids this most inviting and tempting pleasure. Among that list were men very difierently gifted. All did not possess the same class of talent. All did not render the same order of service. But all did render distinguished service in their own way, and won the gratitude and confidence of the denomination. Some of the brethren were preachers and f fF t H ' ' 1 1 H " i X M ' 1 . ( . r ^ 1 % ■ ^ Ccntcfinia/ of Cnnadidu McthodisJN. ill xA ill } .'11 lii ^ ?t 11 (! '' platform orators of the first order. Soin»' wore specially gifted as business men, and nianajiers of men and linancial leaders in a marked degree. Some were j.astors and teachers of the highest rank ; whilst other.s, l>y [)rayer and life, seemed to have wonderful power with (Jod and njeu. Just as the d«'nomination was approaching its jultilee with thankfulness and hoj>e, and planning wider fields of labour and a general forward movement, it was invited to consider the question of the union of the Methodist Churches in Canada. When the Confeience of 1881 appointed IJev. II. .1. Nottand Charles Hohhs, Esq., as its representatives to thes Ecumenical Council of xMethodism in L 'udon, no one dreamed of the s})eedy, practical results of that reniarkahh^ ass<'ml)ly on Canadian Methodism, l^iit at the Conference of 1882 the denomination was requested to consider the possibility of a union of all the branches of the Methodist family in Canada. A distinguished representative of the English Conference (Rev. F. W. Bourne) attended this Con- ference at Port Hope, and lent the aid of his great name and influence to the furthering of the union feeling. After a free discussion of the question, a representative committee was appointed to meet similar connnittees from the other Methodist Churches. The committee were W. 8. Pascoe, J. Kenner, G. Webber, E. Roberts, J. J. Rice, H. J. Is'ott, ministers ; T. Courtice, J. Hull, J. Clark, J. Pickard, W. Windatt, laymen. The committee met the brethren of the other Methodist Churches in joint committee in Carlton Street Church, Toronto, the following November. A basis of union was agreed on. That basis, as directed by the preceding Conference, was submitted by the connexional executive to the members of the Church for adoption or rejection. More than a two-thirds majority of the mendters I ti\ *m Bible Christian Church. 22; .') voting heartily ondorsod tho V)asis of union. Cona<'quently, the Kxetcr Conference! of 18^8, Hft«*r a long and excei'dingly aWle deKate, ratifi«ul the union upon the proposed h.-islH, hy fifty-four yeas to sixteen nays and twelve n3 ni?':ijt 220 Centoniux! of Camuiian Methodism. and renewed men its living epistles Ft is no small tribute to the soundness and inteJligence of its ministry, to rememlier that not ont^ was cast out for preachin<; false doctrine during tlie whole of its history. And hut rarely did any member ever leave the Church through declension of faith or by falling away into heresy. It valued the labour, and culti- vated warm fraternal fec^lings with every section of the Protestant Church, imt it never compromised with latitudi- narianism, or swerved from the teachings of the Gospel of Christ. From first to last it was Bible Christianity in creed and practice. The denomination was Liberal in church polity. Minis- ters and laymen stood together on the equal ground and common privileges of the New Testaukent. They rejected all priesthood but Christ's, and all sacramental and sacerdotal pretensions on the pai't of any ministn' : believing very tirmly '\\\ the sole and supreme headship Christ and the perfect brotherhood of Christian believers. Laymen were admitted equally with the ministers as members of all church courts and committees, and shared with them in the administration of the ordinances of the Church. The denomination ttrmly resisted all connection between Church and State. In every case they opposed denomina- tional grants to sectarian institutions. When sectarian, or separate, schools were proposed in Upper Canada, in 1863, the Conference and the Connexion strongly protested against it. In the Clergy Reserve conflict, they were true to their principles ; urging all, by teaching and practice, to adopt as the true, safe, divine principle for the guidance of Church and State, " Render unto Caesar the things that are Caasar's, and to God the things that arc God's." The denomination recognized and encouraged the labour lr\ Bible Christian Church. 227 and ministry of Woman. Some of the earliest and best preacliers and teachers of this Church were holy women. Th(!y entered the ranks of its ministry and laboured without let or hindrance for the glory of God and the salvation of the peoph;. In this respect, the denomination took a posi- tion in advance of many of the churches of its day, but it lived to see its contention widely accepted, and the ministry of woman in manifold ways a recognized power in the Church. The denomination was faithful to the principles and cause of Temperance. Its ministers were required to be total abstainers, [ts members were urged to follow the same wise and Christian practice, and to this practice and teach- ing the Church steadfastly adhered at all costs. But one of the pioneer missionaries survives, and scarce any of the early members of the Church remain to this day. One by one they have gone over and home, many of them closing a good profession with a triumphant death. Thou- sands on thousands are now in heaven through the labours of this people, while thousands still remain on earth to enrich and bless the Church and the world. Therefore, it may be truly said, the gifts, and toils, and tears, and sacrifices, and services of the past have been nobly repaid in God's own beautiful and faithful way. . 4 \ ! Bi n i^^M ^^■1 ■ IB ifflt^i B Till: MrrilODIST CHURCH. By Rev. Dr. Cauman. '^T^HE fruitful tree has its roots in the ground, and its J robust trunk lifting up the branches into light and air. The godly man is "like a tree planted by the rivers of waters tliat l)ringeth forth his fruit in his season ; his leaf also shall not wither, and whatsoever he doeth shall pros- per." The ancient Church was a " vine brought out of Egypt. Tlie Lord God of Hosts cast out the heathen and planted it. He prepared room before it, and did cause it to take deep root, and it tilled the land. The hills were covered with the shadow of it, and the boughs thereof were like the goodly cedars. She sent out her boughs unto the sea, and her branches unto the river." The Christian Church, in its spiritual unity and ti ae catholicity overall the earth to-day, is made up of the living V)ranches in Christ the living Vine, of whose nurture and glorious growth (Jod the Father is the husbandman, " Abide in Me, and 1 in you," said our Lord. *' As tiie branch cannot bear fruit of itself except it abide in the vine, no more can ye except ye abide in Me. If a man abide not in Me, lie is cast forth as a branch, and is withered. I am the vine ; ye are tlie branches." '' For the kingdom of iieaven is like unto a man that is an housiiholder, which went out early in tho morning to hire labourers into his vineyard. ' Hear another parable: "There was a certain (■ ^ wsm 230 Centennial of Canadimi Methodism. w householder who planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and digged a wine-press in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country. And when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his ser- vants to the husbandmen, that they might receive the fruits of it. And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another. Last of all, he sent unto them his son. And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him. . . There- fore I say unto you, The kingdom of (lod shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof." "Now," says the prophet, "will I sing to my well-beloved a song of my beloved touching his vineyard. My well-beloved hath a vineyard in a very fruitful hill ; and he fenced it, and gathered out the stones thereof', and planted it with the choicest vine, and built a towei" in the midst of it, and also made a wine-press tiierein ; and he looked tiiat it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes. What could have been done mom to my vineyard, that I have not done in it % Wherefore, when I looked that it should bring forth grapes, brought it forth wild grapes % For the vineyard of the Lord of Hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of .Judah his pleasant plant: and he looked for Judgment, but b(!hold oppression ; for righteousness, but behold a cry." " Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest i ot the root, but ihe root thee. Thou wilt say then. The branches were broken off that 1 might be graffed in. Well ; because of unbelief they were bi-oken off, and thou standest by faitli. Be not high-minded, l»ut fear." From all which Scripture statements and instructions — and how otherwise than l>y IToly Scripture do we know t : The Methodist Church. 281 i: my m I )rth the int: for the oot, 'ere b of lith. Is — Low anything of the true Church of God'? — some thini^s are very clear and pl.iin. And in the light of these plain and clear things we propose for a little to view the Methodist Church. A "historical sketch" is asked for; hut the ori^'aniza- tion now kno^vn as 'The Methodist Church" is euiphati- cally, in its present phase, but of yesterday. " The Mt^tho- dist Church," as such, has not had time to make inucii of a history. Contrasted with those wliose boast is in their antiquity, and whose hope is in their sensible, tangible line of descent, it may upon the historic surface make, indeed, but a «orry showing. If venerable and visible externals in boasted succession are the necessary and only credentials of genuine churchhood, we likely are beaten before the argu- ment is begun. f'»ut if the descent, the continuity, unity, and identity are in the hidden life, and the demonstrations of churchhood are in the approved manifestations of that spiritual life, we may venture in humility to urg(^ a claim as of the people of Uod. The history may be brief ; but the philosophy of history is profound and eternal. Chang- ing systems and pretensions, perishable oigani/.ations give diversity to history ; its perpetuity, power and pi*ogi-ess are found in the constant How of mighty forces far beneath the surface of events a>id far down out of ordinary human sight. They are found in the U|tlifting energies tliat appear in the development of races and of faiths, as the fertility of the earth and the generosity of the sun appear today in the flower on the hill sit' e, and to-morrow in the oa^k upon the Miv:)untains and in the cedars of Lebanon. That is the genuine Mower, the real tree, that lives this v<'af or next, one year or a thousand, by tlK^se hidden forces. That is the true (yhurch of (iod that lives by tliJ^ e.xliaustless divine energy in this century or that, and brijigs forth fhc fruits of Hv 232 Centennial of Canadian Methodism. holiness, meekness and love from generation to generation ; that, with dead branches pruned out, and fresh shoots grown in, maintains its productiveness from age to age. The one point is to find and hold connection with the hidden divine life, ever moving onward, and bring forth the fruits thereof. The plain and evident things, manifest in the foregoing quotations from Holy Scripture, in whose light we propose to examine the history, status and prospects of the Metho- dist Church are : 1. The personal religious life, the spiritual life of the child of God— and there is nothing of this relationship without this life — is an inner and a hidden life, a life hid with Christ in Ood, a life shown forth in thought, aim, .•ili'ection, emotion, character and action. 2. This life has its proper and normal expansion, engenders and sustains its peculiar oi'gatiisms, and fitly nurtured, brings forth abundantly its appropriate fruit, demonstrating at once the nature of the life and its divine energy. 3. The chuinh life is precisely of the same character, origin and results as the personal spiritual life ; arises in the same way out of the ever onfiowing life of God, is sus- tained by the same energy, and gives the same proofs of its existence and activity. 4. The true Christian of one generation as well as of another ; the child of God in one age as well as in another, finds this divine spiritual life a river of life ever flowing, and must find it and keep it to be kept by it. "They did all eat the same spiritual meat, and tlid all drink the same spiritual drink ; for thoy drank of that spiritual rock that followed them : and that rock was Christ." Each in his own time has his own connection with the life-giving power. The Methodist Church. 283 titly as of )ther, |wing, |y ditl same that 111 liis lower. I, from eternity to eternity ever living, am the vine ; ye, from generation to generation, are the branches. Not an outer form, an integument ; but an inner tibre, a spiritual organism, conveys the life. 5. The individual Christian may lose this life, and be cast forth as a branch. *' Every branch in Me tha'^', beareth not fruit, lie taketh away." And the conditions and results of the loss of this spiritual life are the same in all genera- tions. " rf a man abide not in Me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered." If, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they aie again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. 6. A true Churcii — which expression the Scriptures justify, as they speak of the Church at Cenchrea, the Church at Corinth, the Churches of Oalatia, the Churches of Judea — compos«'d as it is of true believers, living mem- bers of the living body, living branches of the living vine, may also lose this life and be cast forth as a branch. A Church, being many persons, and bound together not only by the inner spiritual life, but also by many external bonds, may live beyond tiie natural life of this or that member, and may appear to live evt-i» when its individual members may all have lost their spiritual life. For often tlio political, social or financial forces may hoi I it together as a society when it is dead as a Church. It is in such a case, as with the ancient people of (lod, the Je^vish Church and nation, it is said : *' Well, because of unbelief they were broken off. If Ciod spared not the natural branches, take heed lest f[e also spare not thee." It is in such a casf» that it is said to the Church at Sardis : " 1 know thy works that thou hast 118 11 u li I a ,f I l I?; I 234 Centennial of Canadian Methodism. a name, that tliou livest and art dead. If, therefore, thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief ; and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee ;" and to the Church of the Laodiceans : " So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor ho% I will spew thee out of my mouth." 7. The Lord God that rejects a faithless, disobedient race, calls and exalts a people faithful and obedient; for the gifts and callings of God aie without repentance, always on niorrl and spiritual grounds ; as with Abraham in the ancient day : " Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all natioi's of the earth shall be blessed in him ; for I know him that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord to do justice and judgujent, that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which He hath spoken of him.' Again, the governing principle of our own era and clearly evident of Gods ancient people, in our own sight : "They being ignorant of God's righteousness and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted them selves unto the righteousness of God. Because of unbelief they were broken olf. And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be graU'ed in : for God is able to graft them in again." 8. How vain are the pretensions and claims that God's connection with His Church in these centuries is a mere chronological bond ; and that the cred^Mitials of the people of God must come out of the calendar and almanac I You are the true Cliurch, and the only true Church, if you date your visible organization in the tirst Christian century. In tactual line from Melciuzedek ; in tactual line from Abra- ham, as though God could not from the very stones raise i K? TJic Methodist CI lurch. 235 up children unto Alu.iliain ; in tactual line fioni Peter ; in tactual line from His Ffoliness of Home, or His Grace of Canterbury. What a nonsensical clamour ! How often (rod lias broken the line to restore the life, and demonstrate divine power! How often man has broken the line in liis faithlessnt^ss and shame ! Dead roots and dead branches are cut off to be burned. Jt is a poor tree that cannot send up vigour enough to sprout limb on limb in the upper air. A strange vine, indeed, that lifts but one stem, a far reaching trunk, ir. may be, without spreaditig branch, or twig, or flower ! Yet this is the high ecclesiastical assumption : "We are the only Church of (Jod, because we alone began at the i)eginning, and alone preserve the unity and continu- ity in our beautiful, limbless, branchless, fruitless shaft through the centuries. Tlieie can be no offshoots from the one true Church." What a dethronement of Christ and enthronement of church in His stead is this. Is Christ verily dead'/ Did He not livt^ before Abraham? Was He not the foundation of the prophets'? Is He not living to- day"? Ana while there may have been epochs of revelation, beginnings of economies, decisive acts of government in this century or tluit, cannot an ellete Church yet be pulled up by the roots and thrown out, and a living Church lind root by living w iters in nutritious soil? Or did He only live when for p little, in the fulness of time, He descended to earth] Did Heat such a juncture give all goodness and spij'itual power into a few hands, and then, Ihiihma-like, withdraw Himself from the moral world"? 9. A living Christ in a living Church is the only Biblical conception and presentation of the Church of Cod. Christ was before the creation of the world. Christ was in Eden. Christ was with Noah and the patriarchs. Christ was with U.« 236 Centennial of Canadian MetJiodism. , ')? His Church in the wilderness. Christ was with His ancient people, and a bright light in their temple. Clirist was in the incarnation, expiation, resurrection and glorious ascen- sion. Christ is in the mediation and everlasting sove- reignty, })OSsessed, as of old, of infinite wisdom and power, directing His Church, leading and comforting His people, unfolding His doctrine, establishing His kingdom, display- ing His saving grace and energy, and fulfilling His promises by the Holy Ghost from age to age. He is alive now, almighty, and alive for evermore, and holds the keys of hell and death ; able, as ever, in providential government and grace, to discipline mankind, to uproot and destroy evil, and to plant, establish and fructify good. The true Church of to-day is the Church that derives its life and energy from this living Christ, and proves this vital connection in bring- ing forth the fruits of the spirit — love, joy and goodness, in meekness, charity and peace. How vain to boast, " The Church of God, the Church of God are we," and then, with a spirit of tyranny, assumption and pride, crush and grind the masses in ignorance, and even in vice and crime ! Kow unlike Christ, wlio came to lift up and to save. Yea, how true to the mind and way of antichrist, who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God ! How preposterous to recite cand chant, " I believe in the Holy Ghost," and then deny the very works of the Holy Ghost in regeneration, assurance and sanctitication ! Epochs of decisive divine administrative acts, of divine demonstration, there have been ; epochs and acts without which there had been no Church. Yet ceitainly the pre-existent, now existent, alway existent, eternal Son of God is not to be wholly located in or confined to any one crisis, to any one purpose, or its executive completion, no matter how indispensable The Methodist Church. 237 that covonant and its fulfilment to the great and constantly developing scheme of human redemption, Christ was the life of the Adamic and Melchizedekan Chuich, of the Abrahamic covenant and Mosaic economy, of the Aaionic dispensation, and that of John the IJaptist ; as He is also the centre ot the Christian system, the spring of the Lutheran reformation, and the source of the Wes- leyan revival. There is as much vigour in the vine as ever ; as much force and vitality in the ever-tlowing river. If a Ijranch dies, a Church apostatizes, it <.'an be cut oft* as well as in the time of Moses or of Christ Himself. If one plant bring forth the wild grapes, it can be plucked up and a new seed dropped by the rivers of water. Methodism may not have great age, \en»'rable history, but the Methodist Church may still be a true and fruitful branch of the living vine. And the Methodist Church has no special charter or imumnity from the religious compacts and moral constitu- tion of the ages. If she is a true branch of the iving vine, and is so to continue, overcoming all temptations, she nmst abide in the ever-living Christ, and with watchful eye and humble and prayerful heart, bring forth the fruits of righteousness in honest dealing and godly living. In all church law ; in all e^-clesiastical forms, provisions and arrangenuMits; in all doctrine, discipline and instruction; in all sacraments and ordinances, in all usages and enter- prises; in all organizations and labour; in all knowledge and experience ; in all othcial management and fraternal intercours*^ ; i.i nutual atl'ection, humility of mind and brotherly regard ; this our one care, this our only security, we must abide in Christ. Christ is our life, ns present, as positive and as vigorous as ever to the (Church of past ages. We must die with Him in the baptism of lire, of consecra- li' Pii '' 238 Centennial of Canadian Methodism. tion, if need be, of sufleriiig, that we may rise and live with Him by the faith of the operation of God. Losing our hold of the present living Christ our glory is departed, as surely as if we lose our hold of a j)ast creating, a j)ast atoning Lord and Saviour. In such a light, how appears the Methodist Church ? I: i W^ Mil I, ORGANIZATION AND POLITY. Methodism, a child of providence in Britain, seems in the counsels of God to have been especially designed for the American continent, and for the reflex action of Chris- tianity upon Asia, Africa and the Isles of the Sea, In the United States, contemporaneous with the American Revo- lution, and in Canatla, with laying the foundation of the British North American autonomy, it has grown v.ith the growth and strengthened with the strength of these two Anglo-Saxon commonwealths, forming at once very largely the national mind in regard to religion, and itself, invigor- ated by the spirit of freedom, so congenial to all the insti- tutions of the New World. There is a wond«'rful coincidence in the precision of dates, marking in both cases the national and ecclesiastical origin. Inspired from on hii];h, these two American giants started in their race. In the United States, the year 1784 gave the people the Methodist Epis- copal Church, under the direction of John Wesley, and the treaty with Great Britain acknowledging and confirming the independence of the Kepublic. In Canada, the year 1791 is monumental both as the epoch of the Constitutional Act, establishing Upper and Lower Canada as separate Provinces, and of the introduction of Methodism in dift'erent forms both in the east and west. And these ditlerent forms, through conflict and change, multiplied and strengthened The Methodist Church. 23d lal jar lal ite nit MS, ed in the progress of the country for more than three quarters of a century. In 1874, after earnest longings for union in all Canadian Methoilisnis, and sincere elTorts to secure it, the Wesleyan Methodist Cluiich of ( 'ana-la, the Wesleyan Conference of Eastern IJritisii America, and tln^ Weslevan Methodist New Connexion Cliurcli, united under t!i(; name, '' Tli(» Methodist Church of Canada." As all were not ready, there still remained apart from this united Ciiurch and from eacii other, the Methodist K{)iscopal Chuicli of Canada, the Primi- tive Methodist Church of Canada, the Hilde Ciiristian Church in Canada, and the German and African Methodists. In 1880-81, again arose stirrings ot heart for the healing of dis- sensions and for closer unity in the hody of Christ, Ministers of the several churches, afflicted in soul l»y the unseendy strife, and by the fre(juent reproacii of the work of (jlod and hindrance of its progress, set their hearts upon bringing to- geliier the various sections of Methodism in this land. Tlieir conversations resulted in conventions larger and smaller, which shaped public opinion on the (juestion and protnpted to more definite constitutional action. At the (General Conferences of 1882 committees were appointed on the subject of Methodist Union, to confer with any others that might be api)ointed and jointly to prepare, if possible, a basis of union for tlx^ consideration of the Churches. These committees met tlrst in Hamilton in September of 1882, and then in Novendjer in Toronto, and formulated a basis of union, which was sent forward to the various Churches for their action. This basis was dealt with by eacli Church respectively, according to its constitution and dis- cipline, and adopte 1 by all. Then was called together the General Conference of the proposed uniting Churches in R': fit H • ! i! , I' m m 'M \i\ 240 Centennial of Canndian Methodism. September, 1883, wliicli, under the Iwisis, completed the union, adopted the constitution of th«^ united Church, en.icted its discipline, in.iui^urated its enterprises, and set its machinery in motion. This spiritual and providential movement brouj^ht toj^ether the Methodist Church of Can- ada, the Methodist episcopal Chuich in Canada, the Jiible Christian and the Primitive Methodists into " The Metho- dist Church." The German speaking Methodists known as "The Evangelical Association," were not eml)raced in this Union, nor were the African Methodists ; the larger scheme, even now somewhat spoken of, awaiting the leadings of providence and the development of events. There is yet opportunity for enlargement and reorganization, and there will be on through the ages. If truth be ever-living, and Christ ever-living, no matter when the supreme and indis- pensable covenants and executive acts transpire, connection should be as easily effected with this living line in this cen- tury as in any other, else Ciirist-life were less than an elec- tric cord or submarine cable that can send up its power through any attachment. Immobility, unchangeableness in policy or polity, is no recommendation or proof of the true Church ; but rati r immutability of truth and doctrine and symmetry and continuity of holy living. It is not to say a Church is not a true Church because it arose, or was organized, or reorgsinized in this age or that ; but because it has renounced Christian doctrine and lost Christian life. Any branch that beareth not fruit shall be cut off. From what has been already said of the character and growth of the true Church of God, it may be readily inferred that if Methodism will bear that description at all, it would esteem more highly the inner and spiritual life than any outer form. And it may be as readily concluded that The Methodist Church. 241 if the different hnmclu^s of Methodism before the unions spoken of possessed this true spiritual life, there would be a marked similarity, if not actual identity, of doctrine as based on Holy Scripture, wliile there might be considerabU» variety in forms of government and modes of administration. If any ask why the people of (lod should difl'er at all in these latter regards, it may be elFectually answered that in Holy Writ itself, witliout touching specific divine commands on religious life, public or private, and on personal obliga- tion and experience, large discretion is allowed as to what shall be the relation of ministers and laymen in the govern- ment of the Church ; whsit shall be the plans of supplying the people with a regular ministry ; what shall be the balance of connexional and congregational functions, and in what series of assend^lies and courts ecclesiastical legislation and jurisprudence may be vested. Thus far even the most hierarchical establishments, with all their struggles for an outward uniformity, acknowledge and practise. Such questions were rife in the Christian Church of the tirst centuries ; and such questions may be expected to press for adjustment, if not for final settlement, wherever spiritual life and personal freedom have not been crushed out by the iron hand of relentless system and the cruel usurpations of godless spiritual pride, all the worse because in the name of God ; and of inhuman ecclesiastical a.ssumption, all the worse because professedly for the good of man. Hence we may not be surprised or grieved if early Metho- dists, like early Christians, awaking with the throb and breatli of a new religious life, should differ on how much or how little laymen should have to do in Church courts and Conferences, or on how closely concentrated or broadly spread should be the governing and appointing power of the « U' 242 Centennial of Canadian Met/uuhstn. n luinistors. There needs be no astonislnneiit tli.it men with anew-found spiritual energy, denionst rating itself as divine, breaking away from a dead oeremonialism, an evid»'ntly ert'ete ecch'siastioism, antl tin; terril>le substitute for saving grace of an enforced civil and legisl Uive conformity, should not b<; in inimediate harmoiiV on many matters of polity and expediency, a field wlicrein good men may oppose and love. On such grounds divisions arose and, too oftt-n, con- tentions. Of the bodies named above, when the (pjcstion of uniting pressed upon the (yhurches, it was «;tiickiy found that in nu'tliods of adnjinistration there were wi(h» divergencies. All had Annual Conferences and District Mcf'tings, (-ircuit Jioards and Boards of 7'rust ; and all had societies and classes. Hut with some liu^ Aiinu.il Conft'rences wen» com- postjd wholly of ministers, and were |)urely administrative ; while with others th("e same Conferences comprised both ministers and laymen, and were both Icgislativt' and e.\ecutiv»! in character. In the cases where tlu' Annual Conferences were pun^ly administrativ«», tlm legislative power was Voted in a <^uadrennial (tcneral (-^onftM'ence made up ecpially of ministers ami laymen. One of the oodles had an episcopacy of the Wcsleyan type, in winch was vested tin; stationing power, limited by the advice of a travelling presiding ehUrship. Here, then, were thi; principles of Church government to be reconciled ami to be incorporated into an acceptable, and if possibh», an eflective polity for the united Church, vi/. : (1) The autonomy of Annual Conferences and the freedom of min- isterial action ; (2) lay representation and the preservation of the rights of the laity ; and (.i) an eflicient supervision and satisfactory maintenance of the conn(>.\ional itond and I i The Met/toiiist Church. 243 unity. And this great work .appears to liave boon acconi- plisliod in love and with the divine approbation. For, as w ill app fi oar rroiii the fig ures ijivon in thij pape tl le mil tod ('hurch has grown beyond expectation in all dopartinonts, even to this dav. Tiio (Nmferoncos were all constitut«»d ot* ministers and lavinen ; the Stati(niini: Coimuitteo was eom- I )ose( 1 of ministers alone a I id eonnoxiona I ati: 11 rs wore j)laced under the oversight of a (Jeneral Superintondeiicy. A Quadronnial (Jeneral Conference was made the legislative body, and all other courts of the Church were vestotl with tile judicial and executive functions. Thus the connexional bond was ma(!e strong, while personal and local rights wore guarded The great connexional institutions and interests, as the Missionary Society, the educational work, the book and publishing hou^es, the Sahljath-scliool operations, and the various connexionil funds, still faitlier soi'ure aind emphasizes the unity t)f tiio ('iiurch and increase its power. Let it Imt maintain the tiue spirit and life of Christ in all its mem borsh lip and machiiu'ry, ni all its operations ai K ordinances, and there is unquestionably before it, with these eidargod facilities and power, greater usefulness than even that with which the loving I^ord has, beyond all our merit a. id of His abounding grace, crowned our unwortliy labours in the past. II. SIMHIT AN'n DOCTUINK How shall we put it. Spirit and |)octriiio ; (»r, |)octrine and Spirit ! If we come from(iod down tinough agencies to men, we likely shall say, Spirit and l)octriiH» ; if we go up from men through jiifoncios to (lod, we likely shall say, hoctrine and HpirJt. Methodism at its beginning was a revival of spiritual Jiiid oxporimontal r(»ligion, a reali/ation ai id demonstration of divine life in the soul ind in il 10 M'f li 244 Centennial of Canadian Methodism. Church. To this idea of lifo and expRrionce in all its divi- sions it has ever adhered. Hence, thouy^ii there have been many branches of Methodism, niany Methodist Churches, there lias been amonfj; them all very little diversity of doc- trine ; indeed, we attempted ; doubling and tripling agencies at unjustitiavile expense (►f men and means; which tilings, and otiiers like them, of course could not be seen till they came to pass — by the occupancy of th<^ whole country in the growth of the Churches — this very unity of locti'ine and sj)iritual kinship rendered the corporate union not only desirable, but readily practicalde. Forms, usages an;' agencies could be easily surrendered or adapted, if what each considered the essential life and power was fully maintained. Each held with all evangelical C'iiristian Churches the common body of docti'ine as to existence and attributes of (;od — the Trinity of divine persons in the one (iod, and the plenary inspiration of the Ifoly Scriptures ; the nature of sin and atonement ; the resui'iection of tlui dead and the universal judgment ; and the future life in its penalties and rewards. And while holding and claiming these essen- tial arti* ' "J of the Christian faith, which might be supposed sutlicient lo bring all (Miurches together, and would avail to bring them together, were it not for the hunum additions and impositions; all biiUK^hes of Caiuidian Methodism, as of true Methodism everywhere, emphasi/erl the spiritual, personal and exj>**nniental doctrines of our holy I'eligion, as conviction of sin, true repentance, justifying faith, the regeneration ^f the nature by the Holy (ihost, ai\d p(»rfect love ui tlie heart and holiness in th«* life through an alb '11 240 Centennial of Canadian MetJiodism. *,i ■i . sutKcient atonement by the same Divine Spirit. Who could enjoy the power of such doctrines and remain apart in strife? Canadian Methodism, diawn by this iniie»* spiritual force, when the times were ripe soon found a basis of union. And to God they, united, ascribe the glory. The united Church holds fast by these doctrines, and with them, through God, expects still to grow and conquer. This positive knowledge of sin, conviction of sin by the Holy (Jhost, is known to be indispensable to a true repentance, a hearty loathing of sin and a resistless determination by the grace of (iod to escape its defilement, its dominion and its danger. How shall men seek ]»ardon, l)ut under a sense of guilt; cleansing, except they know their pollution ? This true repentance, this sense of helplessness, vileness and impending I'uin, must precede peisonal saving faith; so that a niiin may Hee to Christ and to Him alone. This appre- liemling <>t Christ in simphi trust is the one condition of pardon : and partlon, the logical and essential antec<.'dent to regenerrifion and adoption; which again, in the divine order, pre.'ed** th<- entire sanctitication by the Hnly Ghost, and the inworking ami indwelling of perfect love. These are expei-ir'nces, these are realizations of the believer, these are demonstrations of the p(;\ver of (iod. The character that in His purpose and covenant He foreknew. He pre(l(»sti- naled to l»e coniormeil to the image of His Son. Whom \\\> predestinated. H«' called ; whom Jfe called, He justitied ; whom H(» justitied. He gloritied. The divine order in pur- po.se and covenant is steadfast and unalterable, that we who til'Ht and foremost trust in Christ are predestinated accord- ing to the purpose of Jiim who vvorketh all tilings after the counsel of His own will, that we should be to the praise ef His glory. We trusted after we heard the word of truth, TJie MctJiodist Church. 247 ami w(» were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise after we trusted or believed. For faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. For the Scripture saith, " Whosoever believeth on Him shall not be ashamed." "And whosoever will, let him take of the water of life freely." With these grand old doctrines of a covenanted, experienced salvation oflered to all - a solvation free, full, present, perfect and eternal, Methodism has won its way till now. It was the genius of these doctrines that swept the var ous divisions into a united Church. It is the spiiit and life of these doctrines — salvation from all sin now, clear assurance thereof, and the consequent baptism of iirt' — that we must preserve if we are to advance to victory. These are th(; con.secration doctrine.s, the missionary doc- trines, the doctrines of holiness and power, which we nmst sacredly guard, unceasingly promote and boldly proclaim, if we are to maintain the character and fruitfulness of a living Church, a living branch of the living vine. Mi are lie are that desti- lu He itied ; pur- b who Icord- |r the Is^ of Iruth, in. LAH0UKS Axn rksults. The first Ceneral Conference of the Methodist Church, composed of ministerial and lay representatives of the four iMiiting Churches, belt! in IJelleviile, in the month of Sep- tember, 18S.'i, in accordance with the provisions of the liasis of Union, was a solemn and historic asscMubly, .M«mi who had streiuiously opposed union, and men who h/id vigorously advocated it, were upon the Hoor with a purpos«' that, now it had been decre«d, to make it successful. Men who did not want to take the r('sponsii)ility thems<'lves rejoiced that others had done so. The opening prayer-s, by llev. \)t. (iardiner, who had promoted the movement, and by Uev. Dr. Williania, who had earnestly resisted it, wore attended 248 Centennial of Cdnadian Methodism. %\ la*. 1 I !f;i l-r Ni with great power in the demonstration of the Spirit, and all hearts were melted in the overflowings of divine love. Devotion to God and His Church, what is now the best thing for the common Methodisni, was evidently the pervading .and ruling thought of the Conference. Differences sank out of sight ; and while principles were guarded and main- tained, when mutual concessions coukl open the way to brotherliness, peace, and spiritual power, they were, as a rule, cheerfully made. This very peace was a realization of tlie Saviour's promise to His people, was regarded as a diviuv^ approlnition of the Union so happily consummated, .and a pledge of better things to come. Where there had been forebodings of ill and great fe.ars, the spirit of conse- cration came upon the Church, and the cheering outlook of faith and hope. The steady increase of the years and the quadrenniums in all departments of the work is .accepted .as the loving .attestation of the good ple.asure of our Hea- venly Father, .and the evident occasion of increasing grati- tude and humility on the part of all our people. The following figures show, in small p.art, the returns of tlie several uniting Churches to the General Conference of 1883 : The Methodist Church of Canada had at the time of the Union 1,lM0 ministers, 128,G44 members, 2,202 churches, valued at 84, l.'i8,43r); 64C) parsonages, valued at $712,906; 1,1)G8 Sabbath schools, with 132,320 scholars, besides the Connexional educational institutions and ex- tended missions at home and abro.ad. Tlie Methodist Kpiscopal Church in Canada returned 259 ministers, 2;"), 671 members, .^)45 churches, valued at $1,314,204 ; 126 parsonages, valued at $113,11© ; 432 Sab- bath-schools with 23,968 scholars, as also missions and educational institutions. The Primitive Methodist Church 'Hi T/ic Methodist Cliurcli. 249 of of le of ,202 cl at iroh had 89 ministers, 8,090 inemV)ers, 230 churches, 50 parson- ages, 152 Sabbath-schools, with 9,050 scholars. The Bible Christian Church ^ave in 79 ministers, 7,398 members, 181 churches, 55 parsonages, 155 Sabbath-schools, with 9,690 scholars. Thus the total membership of the Unitetl Church at its start in 1883-, was 169,803, with 1,643 ministers, 3,158 churches, 877 parsonages, 2,707 Sabbath schools and 175,052 scholars. The churches and parsonag(»s were valued at S9, 130,897. These figures do not include the connexional property in missions, superannuation fund, book and pub- lishing establishments, and universities and colleges, which would run up t') about $5,000,000 more. At the (ieneral Conference of 1886, there were returned 197,479 members, and in 1890,233,868. In scholars in the Sabbath-school, the summary for 1886 gave 191,185, and for 1890, 226,050. Churcii property and other statistical items have kept pace ill their proper ratio with this increase in membership and the attendance upcm tlie Sunday-schools. From this, it is at once evident that because of the Union the revival power has not left the Church. An increase of 64,000, or 38 per cent, in our membership in seven )ears, in a country like ours, with a cojuparatively sjnall population, and with many other active Churches, by the grace of (lod, winning their share, is indeed reason of joy and gratitudt to (iod. It was feared, as did to a small extent transpire, that sonie of the membership of the former Churches would not consent to the roll-call after Union, but would transfer themselves to other communions Quite a number fell out of the ranks and joined the Salva- tion Army, which possil)ly had in this regard, as in others, a providential mission. Yet sd decisive was the increase, 17 \h I I i I »i (i ■( I I I . t ; ■ 'n 1 ' 1 (• till 111 ! fill [ \ [ ( h m fil 1' * 250 Centennial of Canadian Methodism. that some minds accepted it as a proof of the divine sanc- tion, and rejoiced after tremhlini* in the work wrou'^ht. Nor was the spirit of lil»erality diminished. The Mission Fund inci'eased year by year, and never was stron<^er than to-day. The schools and colleges h-ive l)een fully sustained and considerably enlari^ed and improved. The publishing interests have grown to grvmd })roportions ; churches and parsonages have been increased and beautified, and nearly all funds strengthened up to demand. So, in humble trust in (jrod, the outlook is eminently ciieering. The one thing recjuired is the perpetuated and intensified spiritual life. The General Conference of 1- lishing House of the Methodist (Miurcli of Canada, on King Street, Toronto. In 1880, the noble and commodious structure on Richmond Street, erected at an expense of nearly $ll!0,000, was first occu]>ied ; and now the book and publishing business and tiie connexional oflices have accom- modations and facilities of the higln'st order The term betwixt tiie General Conferences of 188C and 1890 is declared by the Book Committee to have been "one of enlargement, extension and general prosperity." Also in the Educational Work a great change has been aflfected. The General Conference of 188G deteruiined upon the federation of Victoria University with the University of Toronto, under the provisions of an Act of the Legislature of Ontario in that behalf. As this had not been accom- plished at the time of the (ieneral Conference of 1890, this '-%.. i'i f The Methodist Church. 251 iious W' of and last Coiitei'ence took decisive measures for the prosecution of the work, which, under the lumd of the Board of llegents, is now vigorously in progress. The Mount Allison Uni- versity, in the Kastern Provinces, prospers abundantly upon the old foundations. The call and <|ualiHcation of men for the sacred ministry is energetic and elective as ever hitherto in the C'hurch ; ami the Tlieological Schools at C'ohourg, Montreal and Sackvillc, are making an uinuistakable impress upon the Church, and aiming more and more to he centres of sound learning and divine power. The education of wojiien has received the most earnest attention and liberal support of the Church ; and the Ladies' Colleges at Hamil- ton, St, Thomas, Whitby and Sackville, and the successful co-educational Schools at Uelleville, Stanstead and St. John's, Newfoundland, are raising a generation of nientally and morally disciplined womanhood that, in alliance with similar achievements elsewhere, must even revolutionize the means and methods of Christian toil, and stir the whole world with a new and heavenly impulse. What with the organization of sisterhoods, the promotion of Epworth Leagues, the operations of Collegiate Missionary Societies, and the splendid results of the Woman's Missionary move- ment, the Church has surely agencies and enterprises to exercise ht r talent and develop her resources under the leadership of Jesus Christ. Only this our anxiety and prayer, that she live by the true Spiritual life and abide constantly therein. Ithis iW m ::f 111 ii? I ll^l i I; ■ u. TIIK MKTIKIDIST CIHRCII IN RKi.ATlON TO MISSIONS. liY KeV. AlEXANI>KH SlTHEHLANI), D.I). IT is often said that tlio Cliurch of Christ is essentially missionary. Tiie s*iyin<; is trite hut true. The <,'reat purpose for which the Church is orj^ani/.ed is to "preach the Gospel to every creature," and its mission is fulUlled only in so far as tins is done. Hut, as conunonly used, the say- in/;^ is the recognition of a principle rather than the state- ment of a fact. It is clejirly perceived that the Church ouf/hf to he intensely missionary in spirit ami practice, and this view is often pressed as an argument to (juicken flag- ging zeal and to revive, if possible, the apostolic spirit in the Church of to-day. (compared with apostolic times, mission- ary zeal and enterprise is yet helow high-w.iter mark ; hut compared with the state of attairs one hundred years ago, it cannot be .said that the former tinx'S w«'re better than these. Within the century — indeed, within the last two or three decadtis— there ims btena marvellous revival of the mission- ary spirit. The sleep of the Church has been broken. Her dormant energies have been aroused. An aggressive policy has been declared. Responsibility, even to the measure of a wt)rld-wide evangelism, is freely acknowltMJgcd, .md the disposition to consecrate men and money on the altar of 1 :'i 1 ill I :<■•?. r. <1 254 Centennial of Canadian MctJiodisin, missionary sacrifice grows apace. All this gives token of a coming day in the not distant future when it may be atUrmed without qualification that the Church — in fact as well as in profession — is essentially missionary. It may be claimed, without boasting or exaggeration, that Methodism has not only contributed somewhat to the revival of the missionary spirit, but has been, under God, a chief factor in promoting it. The place of her nativity was hard by the missionary altar, and a spirit of intense evang(^lism gave the first impluse to her work. Born anew amid the fervours of a second Pentecost, her first preachers were men baptized with the tongues of fiame, symbol of a comprehensive evangelism that found expn^ssion in the motto of her human leader, " The World is my Parish." In the spirit of that motto Methodism has lived and laboured, and after the lapse of more than a hundred years the primi- tive impulse is .still unspent. Wherever the Banner of the Cross is unfurled, Methodist missionaries are found in the van of the advancing hosts, and the battle cry of the legions is "The World for Christ." The beginnings of Methodism in Canada reveal the same providential features that marked its rise in other lands. Here, as elsewhere, it was the child of Providence. No elaborate plans were formulated in advance. No forecast- ings of human wisdom marked out the lines of development. But men who had felt the constraining power of the love of Christ, and to whom the injunction to disciple all nations came with the force of a divine mandate, went forth at the call of God, exhorting men everywhere to repent and believe the Gospel. Out of that flame of missionar}' zeal sprang the Methodist Church of this country ; and if the missionary cause to-day is dear to the hearts of her people, it is but the TJic ytethodist CJiurch in Relation to Missions. 2r)5 legitimate outcome of the circumstiinces in which she had her birth. Methodism is a missionary Church, or sl>e is iiothinj,'. To U)se her missionary spirit is to he recreant to the great jmi'pose for which (Jod raised her up. X(jr can she give to missions a secondary place in Ikm* system of operations without heing false to h«'r traditions and to her heaven appointed work. While Methoflism in Canachi was, from the very tirst, missionary in spirit and aims, what may he called organ- ized missionary effort did not hegin till 18lJ4. In that year a Missionary Society was formed. It was a hold movement, such as could have heen inaugurated only by heiven- inspiretl men. Upper Canada (at that time ecclesiastically distinct from Lower Canada) was just licginning to emerge from its wilderness condition. Bettlemmts were few and, for the most part, wide asu.ider. Population was spaise, and the people were poor. Moreover, Methodism had not yet emerged from the position of a des})ised sect, and preju- dice was increased by the fact that it was under foreign jurisdiction. Such a combination of unfavourable circum- stances might well have daunted ordinary men, and led to a postponement of ai»y effort to organize for aggressive n.issionary work. "But there were giants in the earth in those days," whose faith and courage were eijual to every emergency ; men who could read history in the germ, and forecast results when "the wilderness and tlie solitary place" should become "glad," and "the desert" should " rejoice, and blossom as the rose." As yet it was early spring-time, and sowing had only just begun; but frotn freshly-opened furrows and scattered seed those men were able to foretell both the kind and the measure of the har- vest when falling showers and shining suns should ripen 256 Centennial of Ca)iaiiinn Methodism. i I. I . ; !. It' and niatun^ th<; <^niin. In that faith thoy planned and lahoui'od. They did notih'spise tho day of snial! tliini,'s, but with faith in the *' incoiruptilihi seed," they planted and watered, leaving; it to (iod to i^ive the increase. In this, as in other cases, wisdom was Justilied of her children. When the Missionary Society whs organized, in I8"J4, two or three? niLMi were trying to re/ich some of tiie scattered haiuls of Indians ; the income of the Society the first year was oidy ahout 81 10, and tlu? held of operation was conlined to wiiat was tJKMi known as llpper (janaxtrn(lin;; tlit> liunic work in all (lin'ttions throii;ili(»ut the old I'lovjnet's of l'j)j>«'r and L(iW('r C/'anada. 'I'lio year IS?.'^ niaiks a distinct <'|ioc'li in tln> liistory of missions in connt'ction with Canadini .Methodism In (hat y<* u' tin' Itold stt'p, as some considered it, was tak en o f Iv f ofeiun mission, and manv indica foiindinLr a dist incrivi tioiu pointed to.la|iaii as a promisini^ tield. The wisdom of tlie step was donlited Ity many, w ho thoiij^jht the home woik sullicienlly ext«'nsi\»' to altsoil) the energies and liheiality of the entire ('lunch. Viewed from the standpoint (»f mero human piinlein-e, the oltjectors were ri;,dit. The hoi»j« missionaries were stru;;t?liii;^ alon<.( with vei y inadetpiato stip<'nds ; mai.y Indian tiihes wei-e still uni««ached ; tlin calls from new settlements in our own country were loud and frerpient, and the vast Kr.Mich p(»j)ulation of tho Pro- vince of (^>uelK»c was scarcely touchecl liy Methodist (•••encios. Under such circumstances, it is not to he wondered at that somt? w»»r(» indiiKHl to say : " We have her«' only five; barley loaves and two small fishes, but what an* thej' amon^' so many t " iUit there were others who remembered tln^ lesson of the '' twelve baskets of fru;;ments " taken up after live thousand men, b(>sides women and children, had been fed ; /md these said : " Let us have faith in (Jod ; let ns brin;{ our little at His command, and with (-hrist's ionse- onitin^ blessin;; our little will multiply until there will be eiiouLth to feed tln» huniiry multitude, and the ('hiirch simil be recompensed fai' beyond the measure of what it ^ives away." And so in faith and prayer the forwai-d movo' ment was inau;;urated, and a mission planted in .lapaii which, from tlie very be^innin^, has shartMl larj^ely ir. bless- ■f "4 2/)8 Ccntetuiial of Canadian M^ct/ioJisni. ings from on hi;^li. Nor did the home missions sufU-r Ixicjiuso of this new y a c()rr('.spond- ing lihorality, and the increased eontril»iitions more tlum sufliced to nie(»t the inci'easeil expendituic. The next (hneiopnn'nt allectinu; the polity and work of th<^ (.■hurt'h oecrurred in IS74, when th(5 W'esh'yan Methodist ('hurt'), the Methodist New Connexion Ohurch, and t!.c Wesh'jan Church of Kastern llritish Amciica, united in one iiody un(h'r the name of Th<' Methodist Church in Cana(hi. This union ext(Mide(l th(^ I lome Missions of the Church hy consolichitin;; the^ forces east and west, thus cov( rini; th(^ whoh? exttMit of the Canadian Dominion, and embracing in aihlition, Newfoundland and tlile ri adjustnmnts of the work, caused teniporary end)arrassment and th(( accumulation of a some- what s(Mi»)Us debt ; but an appeal to the Churcli met with ) liberal a response, ti»at the debt was extiiiiruished with so ;poi out reducing the regular income, and the work went on as before. It was felt, however, that, for a time at least, the duty of the Church would lie in the diriH-tion of consolida- tion rather than expansion, and hence for sev(Tal years no n»'W ujovement was nuide bey«)nd tliM prudent enlargement of fields already occupied. The missionary spirit which for years had been growing in the Methodist Church, t\)und a new outlet in 1880 in TJic MetJiodist ChurcJi in Rr/ti/t'o;/ to .}fissiofis. 250 the or«^anization of tho Woman's Missionary Society. In June of tluit yoar a nuinlKT of ladies met in the parlours of the Centenary Church, Ifaniilton, at the invitation of the CJeneral Missionary Secn'tary, when the project was carefully considered and the conclusion i-eached to oii^ani/.e foi'th- with. 'I'hat afternoon niectinir marks the Itei^innini: of what to I) )f th )tent f( in 5come oi tion with the mission work of the Methodist Church. Nor can a thouj,ditful ol>server fail to see i»ow Dixinc Providence controlled the time as well as the; circumstances, 'I'hc Union movement, which culmiiiatcd in ISS."?, was lirst hef^inninj; to be discussc'd. Fou!' distinct ( 'liurches were proposinjCf to unite, hut whether it would lie possihle so to amal<;amate their vjiried interests as to make of the four one new (Jhurch, was a problem that remained to he solved. Jn the accomplishment of this dillicult task, the mi.ssion work of the (/iiurch was a prinu; factor, for it served hy its \\\\\.»- nitude and importance to turn the attention of ministers and people from old dillerences and even antagonisms, and to fix it upon a common object. What the work of tiie present Society did for on employ of tl»e Socit^ty, and decision has been I'eached to s»Mid w^ 2G0 Centennial of Canadian Methodism. pioneers to China in connection with the onward movement of tlio parent Society. It was thought at one time tliat the union of 1874 wouUl have included all th(! Methodist bodies in (.'aiuida, as ail w 're n'lji'csented at a preliminary mcM'ting held in Toronto. Thi« expectation was not realize*!, owing to tlie retirement of several of th(^ l»odi(!s from sul)seends remained at low-water mark, no retro grade step was taken. As at present organized, the mission work of the Metho- dist Church embraces live departments, namely : — Domestic, The Methodist CJmrch iu Relation to Missions. 201 einont would as all •la ill to tho oiiotia- s tliiin sire for ^n-iitly Uonfer- ;t (Jen- iistiiu't '(I witli s paprr lice it to , Mrth- I) istiiin [»n'ssiv«' oiui iu |o opfr- 1 (T, aiK II w lil)ratM»(l Ijust- :i( <>i ken 'I'l JO and ri'tro LMetho- lineutio, Indian, French, Chineso and Forogn. All these are under the supervision of on(» Hoard, and are supported hy one fund. Kaeh departnu'iit, in view of its iniportanrj', claims a scpai'ate reference, I. TMK noMKSTIC OR IIOMK WOKK. Under this head is included all Methodist Missi(Uis to En^dislj-spiakinj^ people throu^diout the Dominion, in New- foundland and the IJermudas. From thi^ very inception of mis-ionary operations, tlu; duty of carryini; the (lospel and its ordinances to tlie settlers in every part of tlie ecu i. try, has Iteen fully recotjfni/ed and laithfidiy pi'rf )i'med. Indeed, this was tlie work to whicii the (.'liurch srt herself at the he;^innin<; of tin* century, hefoi'e missionary work, in the more extended sense, iiad l»e<'n thought of. At tliat tinu; the popula;ion was sparse and scattcued. Of lionie comforts there was little, and of wealth there was none, hut the tireless itinerant, unmovet in spiritual results the Church has 1 )een ai iiply repaid. In Uritish Columhia, as the diret-t result of missionary efKort, tribal wars havr entir»'ly eeascd, heathen villages have been transfornied into (Christian craliti«»s of the dance and the "potlateh" hav(; gixfn phu'e to assemblies for Christian instructi<»n a nd d sacrrd sonir. In the North West sindlar results have been arhievrd, and it has bfcn d( inonstratrd that tlie advancement of the native ti'il)es in intellig«Mice, in mniality, in loyalty, in the aits and refinements of civilized life, keei)s even step with the progr-ss of Chiistian missions. it is the fact that d th )lt \ ery signilicant is the tact tliat dui'ing tlu; icvoit among certain Indians and llalf-breeds in the North-West, not one member or adherent of the Methodist (^hurch among the Indians was implii-ated in the disturbances ; and it is now generally acknowledged that the unswerving loyalty of the Christian I ndians -notably of Chief Pakan and his people at Whitetish Lake -('ontributed more than any other (cir- cumstance to j)i'event a general uprising of the Cree nation. In On'ario, results in recent years have not been so marked as in Ibitish Colund)ia and the North-West, owing to the fact that most of tim bands are now in a fairly civili/ed state, and there is but little in outward circumstances to distinguish the work from that among the whites. An important feature of the Indian work at the present time ia the establislnnent of Industrial Institutes, where Indian youth are instructeil in various forms of industry suitetl to their age and sex. Tim Institute at iMuncey, Ont., has over \ I' I 204 Ccntcuuial of Caimdinn Mctliodisin. y eighty pupils, aiul is in process of enlurj^'fiiKMit to accoimno- flate 120; in Manitoba and at Herd Deer two Institutes an< in process of erection; an ( )rpliana;^(! and Trainini^ school has been in operation for some time at Morley ; and a lioardinijschool at Chilliwhack, and a (iirls' Home at Port Simpson, are under the control of the Woman's Missionary Society. Statistics of the Indian work for IS'JO <^ive tlm follo\vin<^ results: — ^fissions, 47 ; missil)ers, 4,L'r)t. 'rh(» expenditure for the same year amounted to about li.'i per irent. of the Society's income. III. TIIK I'ltKNCII \NOl(K, In tin* {•ni\iiii'e of <^nel)ec (heie is a Kreneh speaking' p()))ulation of a million and a (piarttM*, and these, with the exi'eption of a few thousands, are adhercMits of the most solid, thorou^ddyorj^'ani/ed and a<;gr<'ssive type of ilomanism to he found in all the world. 'I'he Church is virtually endowed, can collect its tithes and levy its church-huildinj,' ratns, and this consideiation, no less than a sin- cere d<».sire fortius spiritual enli;;htenment of tim people, has led th»» various Protestant Churches to make sonu^ elFort to spread tin; (JosjKd amon<; them. So far as Methodist Missions ar(^ concerned, nunuM'ical results have been small, and the missions do not pr(»sent features as encoura;,dn;.( a« uro to be found in other departments. Hut it should be borne in uiiud that the dillicultius to In; surmount<:d are Mctliodist CInirch in Rclntiofi fo Missions 2<>') f^rpater than in any otlior field, and that there are causes for the conipanitively small numerical inirease which do not exist t'Isewhcre. Neither in the Domestic, the Indian, or even ihe Fon'i<^n work do civil or social disahilities follow a profession of faith in Christ ; hut in the Province of (^Juebec a renunciation of Romanism is the sij^nal for a series of petty persecutions, and a degree of civil and social ostracism, which many have not the nerv«^ to endure, and which usuallv results in tlu'ir emitcratiftn from the Province. The dilliculty of reachin;^ the peojih; hy direct evan<^clistic ellort, led the Missionary Hoard to adopt the policy of extendiiii,' ts educational work. In pursuance of this pf)li<'y a site vas sccunsd in a west(MMi sul)urh of .Montreal, and a l»iiildiny erected cipahh; of accommodating,' IDO resi- dent pupils. Ahout neventy pupils are already in atten- d/Mioe, anri the future is l»ri;jfht with promise. The amount expended on the French work, indiidifi^ the institute, is only ahout J)] per cent, of the Society's incoi/ie. IV. THE CIIINKHK WOKK. I)uring the past cpiarter of a century vast numhers of Chinese have I mded on the Pacific Co/ist of the American continent, of the.iin<,', l.*^8.**, by a reniai'kahle chain of providt'uces, the wav was fully «)i)iMied, am I a mission he^^un which has sinci' extended to otiur |)luces in tluj Province, and has i»een fruitful of ^'ood r«'sults. Commodious mission huddinj^s have heen erected in Victoria and Vancouv<'r, scliools «'stal»lished in Imth theso cities and in N(^v.- Westminster, many eouNerts have l»e«;n received hy baptism, and thv the \\ uman's M issionary Society. 1 \t tl le pr«?sent writiny the stalistics of the Uhincst! Mission arc teachers, 0; hhmuImu's, 112. M issions, ;; missionaries. a V. THK FOUKKJN WOUK. The most conspicuous and decided onward moveim*nt of the ]Mosts. \\\ Tol^'o there is an academy for ynunir men, an*! a theolo;^ical school for tiie tiaiidn;j; or n itiv*' candidates tor tl le nunistry ; w Idle the Woman s MissionaiN S OCl« ty maintains tlourishini; .schools for i^iils in Tukyo, Slii/uoka md Kt)fu. (rtMieral statistics of the Japan work are as follows Missions, I'J; mi^ ionaries, L' 1 ; native evan<'el- ists, l!7 ; teachers, 14 ; mend>ers, KG'^G. 'I'his l>rief statemt^nt resj»ectin;^ the foreii^n work of tiie Churcli would he imperfect without some leferencc to the a( :ti. when the project (»f a new for«'i^n ndssion was favouiahly cmmended to the (iien«'ral Board of Missions, with power to take such action us ndght seem ud\ isuhle. When tiie (|uestion came up \\\ the (Jeneral Kuard, it h(?can»e evident that th«^ suj,';^estion was not pi'emature. With {iractical unanintity ih** Hoard athrmed the desirableness of at once occujtyin;,' new ;,M(»unil, and as a remarkahle stories of providences seemed to point toward China, the Conunittee of Finance was authorized to tuk»^ all necessary steps to give ollect to the decision of the Hoard. It may Ihj rei^arded as a settled matter tiiat during the presiMit summer tiie vanguard of our uds.».ionary army will enter tiie l'low(;ry Kingdom. Enougli liab now been buiil tu show thai the Mi ihudibt Su *>. IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) / < /^/. ^ !.0 I.I |£0 "^" MHH 1^ 12.2 1125 11 U — 6' 2.0 1.8 1.6 V] W ^?: /^ /^ Hiotographic Sciences Corporation 23 WIST MAIN STRUT WliSTH.N.Y. 14S80 (716)173-4303 A V 37 V^ ^^^ i^.^^ ^. ^\ o^ <. <^^< ii- 268 Centennial of Canadian MetJiodisni. If tiV --,1 '■ ■ . ■' • Chui-ch of Canada, in its origin, history and traditions, is "essentially njissionary ; " that its providential mission, in CO operation with other branches of Methodism, is to "spread scriptural holiness over the world." If the spirit of this mission is maintained her career will be one of ever-widening conquest. If it is suffered to decline, Ichabod will be written upon her ruined walls. For purposes of reference the following tables will be found useful : — iilS Methodist ChiircJi in Relatioti to Missions. 269 ns, IS n, in is to spirit ne of labocl ill be STATISTICAL. DKl'ARTMENTS. 1 i i t a CO , <5 - J R o 'S .2 ^5 DOM'JSTIC MI8HIOX8— j Toronto Conference i 36 LonQ:>n Conference ' 23 Nia^rara Conference ; 8 Guelph Conference ' 26 Bay of yuinte Conference ! 34 Montreal Conference 06 Manitoba ami North-West Conference. .. . : 67 British Columbia Conference 12 Nova Scotia Conference i 43 New Crunawick and P. E. I. Conference ! 44 Newfoundland Conference i 49 1403 Indian Misbionb— Toronto Conference London Conference Niagara Conference Guelpli Conference Bay of Quinte < onftrence Montreal Conference Manitoba and North-West Conference British Columbia Conference 33 22 8 27 32 fifj f)5 12 37 45 45 371 6 % 6 4 2 •> 2 2 3 >> « 2 12 11 ^3 9 Frrncii Missions— Montreal Conference , CniNKHK Missions— British Columbia Conference FoRBioN Missions - Japan Conference 47 35 9 6 Grand Total 19 ; 24 487 ,438 3 12 17 i 26 13 27 I 14 44 : 4b I 13 r2 "5 X 33 22 8 27 32 f)5 55 12 37 45 45 371 !) 13 5 5 e (I 25 20 91 05 541 3060 2ftl0 975 2901 3885 5336 4286 364 4332 4226 7849 39724 616 782 209 2110 69 124 1109 1255 4264 209 \\l 1686 45995 < !• I I 270 Centennial of Canadian Methodism. INCOME AND EXPENDITURK FOR 1889-90 COMPARED WITH THAT FOR 1888-89. INUOMK. Subscriptions and Collections il6G551 03 Juvenile Offering's 28122 39 Letracies 733fi 11 Donations on Annuity .... . . fiOOO CO Indian Department . . . 10822 (57 Mi>cillaneous 21',tf) 23 Increase. Decrease. .S4i)l8 75 S-270 77 •2«-26 11 4000 (K) 1417 m 8,')5 20 Tota' Iiicotne §220026 43 $fllti9 77 S4918 7:'. Net Increase 425102 KXPENDITURK. \ d' DMinestic Worl< Indian Work French Work Chinese Work Foreign Work— Jjipan Special Grants for Purchase, Erection or Repair of Mission Propert\ , etc Affliction and Supply .. .Superaniuiated .Nlissionaries District Chairmen's K.\penje.s Circuit Expenses Annuities Interest, Discounts Publishing (Charges Travelling Expenses Conference Committees' and Treasurers' Expenses. . Superintendent of Missions, N.W.T Salaries Rent, Postage, Telegrams, Clerk-hire, Printing, etc. Total Expenditure . $211482 78 $^194 18 *740;l 3S Net Increase 790 80 Surplus 8543 05 ?83834 55 ■ • 83759 88 48110 «1 398 26 8292 55 • • • * 215 87 3659 43 .9369 28 > • I • 27.W3 50 3.')! 6 04 .... 7176 33 2937 06 1846 83 635 33 4900 00 105:i 61 .... li 31 3931 58 20 76 1226 00 376 50 3345 27 228 48 4863 66 259 97 . ■ • < 2108 95 • t > • 1830 i»3 733 83 1.'3 05 1600 00 • . • • .... 5100 0(1 100 00 .... 2196 08 808 84 ^«!t) Mctliodist CJuircli in Relation to Missions. 271 PERCENTAGE EXPENDITURE, SHOWING HOW EVERY DOLLAR RECEIVED LAST YEAR WAS DIVIDED BETWEEN DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS OF THE WORK. Dolne^tic Missions Indian .Missioii-i Frencli Missior'S Chinese Missions Japa?) Missimis Mission Frenii'^eH Affliction and Supply Su])erannuatod Missionaries Circuit Kxjienses District Chairmen's Expenses Aiinuities, in considoration of Doiations Interest, Discounts, etc Publishing Chary-es (Annuiil Fleports, Reward Books for Juvenile Col- lector.-), etc Travellini: Expenses . Conference Committees' and Treasurers' Expenses Superintendent of North-West Missions Silarics Rent. Postajfe, Telegrams, Stationery, Clerk hire, etc Surplus Cts. mills 38 1 21 9 3 1 1 7 12 fi 3 2 {> 2 2 1 7 (» C 1 5 2 2 1 4 S 2 3 1 3 8 100 00 , il if •" mi iVA i{ m \H\ :' -^M ' ^ 'i . ■: i ,1 1 , . I : *•!. i il *'X\y**J: *i^;*"t if: ^! iii?' in fy' §.'l ' it-:' ffH: l:i iFiPlii!!'!!! b! < u p. a S Q Jr, Q n u H N CO H P mmm t uiiiif'iOiiiiiiniiif 3 N 09 H % fei. METHODIST LITIlRATURi: AN!> MKTIIODIST SUNDAY-SCHOOLS. Bv THE Rev. W. H. Withhow, 7). I). IT has somotiraes been asserted that Methodism is unliterary in its chaiacter. That depends on what is meant by literary. If one means devotion to the techni- cal niceties of scliolarsliip, to tlie preparation of l)Ooks on Greek verbs in mi, or on the middh^ voice, or on the dative case, we may, in part, admit the charge. Methodism has not had at her command the sinecure fellowships, the rich endowments and the opportunities for learned leisure that encourage devotion to such niinutiie of scholarship. Her writers, for the most part, have been hard-working preachers, whose first and all-iraportant work was the ministry of the Word, the edifying of the :. 'nts, the upbuilding of the Church of God. r But notwithstanding this consecration to a higher work than the writing of books, «.he has no reason to be ashamed of her achievements in the latter regard. She has not been unmindful of her birth in the first university in Europe, nor of the fact that her early teachers and preacliers were among the most scholarly and learned men of their age. John Wesley's many scores of volumes are a proof of his literary industry, and the fact that many of them were con- densations of costly tomes into cheap hand-books for the *^.:- -< - 274 Centennial of Catindian Methodism. E'lii I 'f peoplo, i^ivos tho k.>v-note to the character ot" Methodist liter- ary enterprise. It wrote not for the favoured few, who could command wealth and leisure, but chiefly for the toilin^j millions, who could command neither one nor the other. It was to brin^ home to the poor man's business and bosom the words of life — the words that could make him wise unto salvation — that the countless tracts and books from the Methodist press were scattered like leaves in autumn ; leaves which, like those of the tree of life, shall be for the healing of the nations. fn his saddle ba^s, with his Hible and hymn-V)ook, the early itinerant took to remotest and poorest hamlets, where other literature was almost unknown, the books which fed the new convert's hunger of the soul. Not tliat all the early literature of Methodism was devotional. There was need of strong, keen, trenchant, logical, controversial writings, to defend the doctrines of grace from the fierce attacks made\ upon them ; and of Scripture commentaries, institutes of systematic theology, books of classical learning, and studies for the training of the new Christian militia for aggressive Christian war. In two respects early Methodist literature was unique. The first was its outburst of devotional poetry, especially that of Charles Wesley, the like of which the world had never seen before. On the wings of sacred song the glad truths of salvation found their way throughout the land and to the ends of the earth. No hymnary of any Protestant Church to-day can be found which does not contain some of the incomparable lyrics of Charles Wesley, and they are found in some Poman Catholic hymnaries as well. The second striking feature is the copious use made of the periodical press. Tn 1778 appeared the first number of Literature and Sunday- Schools. 27:. the Aviniivian Maijazin*^ wliich, under the various ujinies of the Methodist MfujaziyiP and WesJeyan Methodist Afrtf/azive, has been published continuously ever since, making it, we believe, the oldest of all the countless number of monthly periodicals. In the New World especially has the periodical press been employed for the dissemination of religious truth and the diffusion of religious and missionary intel- ligence. The Methodist Episcopal Church alone issues twenty-three otticial periodicals, the circulation of nineteen of which amounts to over 3,000,000 copies. Besides these, are thirty unoHicial pupers published in the interest of that Church, and many tnore otlici.'l and unofficial published by the other .Methodist Churches of that country. Methodism throughout the world publishes no less than 1G4 weekly, monthly or quarterly periodicals, the circulation of which, though we have not the data to accurately estimate it, is enormous, and the moral and religious influence of which is simply incalculable. The Methodist Episcopal Church of the United States alone, during the Quadrennium ending 1888, issued from its own presses 2,263,160 volumes, and the value of the sales from its official Rook Concern during that Quadrennium amounted to $7,344,390. A leading New York journal comments as follows upon the success of the publishing interests of the Methodist Episcopal Church : — " Few publishing houses anywhere can show a record of financial prosperity equal to that of the Book Concern, which began operations one hundred years ago with a borrowed capital of $600, and which to-day has an unin- curaliered capital of more than $1,500,000, after having contributed from its profits during the century nearly $2,500,000 to meet various expenses of the Church. Tens of millions of Methodist books have been sold, because 276 Centennial of Canadian Methodism. m , > 1 I I ' ,M ' \ )' . .; Is ' 1,1^1 millions of Mt'thodist people liiive been trained to hunger and thir^it tor the spiritual meat and drink which those books were intended to supply. It is one among many glories of the laborious clergy who, as ' circuit riders,' carried the Gospel into innumerable lonely settlements and neglected moral wastes on this continent, that they awak- ened a love of reading in multitudes of homes that else would have remained intellectually sterile. Let not the fastidious critic sneer. If it be admitted that much of the literature conveyed in ' saddle-bags ' V)y itinerant preachers was crude, unpolished, often feeble and narrow in range of ideas, yet no one can truthfully deny that its moral tone was unobjectionable, and that to set illiterate masses to reading about matters of high concern was an inestimable advantage to the country as well as to the Church." Another remarkable manifestation of intellectual activity is seen in the educational enterprises of the above-named Church. In 1886 it had no less than 143 colleges, universi- ties and higher institutions of learning, with buildings and grounds to the value of $7,584,640 ; debts, $592,474 ; professors and teachers, 1,405 ; students, 28,591. But we are concerned in this paper chiefly with the lit rary activity of Canadian Methodism. A native litera- ture is a plant of a slow growth. Like the aloe tree, it requires a century to bring it into bloom. It is not much more than a hundred years since the British conquest of Canada, and much less than a hundred years since the settlement of a great part of it. The early years were a continual struggle for existence. The Methodist people were hewing out for themselves homes in the wilderness, and the pioneer preachers were following the blazed paths through the forest to minister to them the Bread of Life. They have both been engaged in building churches and school- houses, and gathering into congregations and societies the Literature and Sunday- Schools. 277 hunger ih those y many riders,' tits and J awak- hat else not the 1 of the leachers [•ange of ral tone asses to stiniable activity B-named miversi- ings and 92,47-i ; dth the e litera- tree, it Dt much |uest of nee the were a people derness, id paths of Life, i school- ities the scattered settlers, and in reclaiming from paganism to Christianity the native tribes. This must l)e their excuse, if they have not achieved as great results in literature as older, wealthier, and more amply leisured Churches. With the best products of British and American literature poured upon our shores, it has been a somewhat handicapped rivalry that our native authors have had to undergo. Neverthe- less, we are not without the beginnings of a native Metho- dist literature, and some native productions have even won recognition in the great republic of letters vvhich embraces the world. Here, as elsewhere, periodical literature first took root, flourished most successfully, and bore most abundant fruit. The oldest religious paper in the Dominion, one of the oldest on the continent, or in the world, is the veteran Christian (Guardian, now in its fifty-eighth year ; and never stronger for the defence of all the interests of Metho- dism, and for the diffusion of religious and general intelligence than to-day. It was a very bold enterprise for the com- paratively few and scattered Methodists in Canada in the year 1833 to establish a connexional press, and shortly after a connexional book room. In that distinguished Canadian, who subsequently did so much to lay broad and deep and stable the foundations of the commonweal by the unrivalled public school system of Upper Canada, of which he was the author, was found the worthy pioneer editor of Canadian Methodism. Valiantly by tongue and pen he fought the battles of civil and religious liberty, and won for the Meth- odists of those early days their civil and religious rights. It is, we think, unparalleled that an editor should be per- mitted to write in the semi-centennial issue of the paper which he founded, a leading editorial. Yet this distinction 27>: Ccntomiiil of Canadian Methodism. W i had |)r. KytM'son, aiul he had the further honour of secini,' all the :,'reat principles for which lie so valiantly contended jjjranted to the people, and n cognized in the constitution of the country. lie was followed bv able successors. The Rtns, Franklin iNletoalf, James lliehardson, Ephraiin ICvans, Jonathan Scott, iicorj^e V. Playter, (Jeorjjfe U. Sanderson, tlanies Spencer and \Vellini»ton .letters constitute a line of «;ifted and faithful men who did er. None of the former editors tilled tlu^ editorial chair foi- so loui; a peritul as its piesent occupant, the llev. I>r. Dewart, nor with more uniform ability and success. No periotlical in Canada stands so l-i^Ii as an (wponiMit of Christian thought and culture, and as a fearless tlct'ender of every interest of Methodism. Its intluence in mouldinu; in large degree through all these years the intellectual lift> of the people, in assisting all the great enterprises of the Church, in being a bond of sympath;y l)etween its centre and its remotest [tarts, in creating a feeling of unity and solidarity in Canadian Methodism, can never be adt'quiitely estimated. Similar service has been rendered in the Provinces of I'^astern Jiritish America by the Wes/ct/att, now in its lit'ty- st'cond volume. In the narrower limits, and with the smalK'r constituency to which it could appeal for support, it was a still bolder enterprise to launch this periodical upon the stormy sea of Journalism, which lias betMi strewn with the wrecks of so many editoral ventures. Its first pilot was I.itoatKrc ami Suniiay-Sclioois. •27!) Rov. Or. A. !McrjOO(l(iiONv K'litorof the /ialtlinorr ,]fi'/Jiodisf), lS;iO-40. Af(,( or two yoars, tlM» j)iip«M' was si;s|umuIi'(I in li'd fjivoui* of a moiitlily injmaziiK^ cditod Uy How W'm. Ttiiiplo. The ircvAw/^/^, soeoiul series, bi'u;an a , and eon- tinued in charge of Dr. MoliOod until IS;")!. b'r.uM IS;")! to 1S()0 Mr. Matthew H, Ixichey, tlien praetisini;- law, had f til eliars;e or tlie papei l{< w as followed hv U,'\. Charles Ohurehill, until 18()-J. Rev. .1. .MeMurrav, \\\)., tilled th editorial ehaii", until 1860, and was s 'J ' Piekard, until 1 87 'J. 'IMk Ml t^anie lU'i'eeded hy Kt'V. Dr. Rev. .v. \V. Niiolson. until 1878. Rev. D. D. Ourrie was Kditor for one year, to 187i). Rev. T. Watson Sinitii held the oiru-e until 188(). At the (leneral (\)nferenco of that year the present Kditor, tlu^ Rev. Dr. Lathern, was eh'ett'd, and was re t^leetcd to (lie same t>lliei' in I8i)0. 'I'lie Candild C/irLttidn Adrocaff, the or Metho- dist Llpiseopal (Miuroli, was lirst started by iievs. Thonias Webster and U)seph 11. Le«)nard, in (\)bouri;, in 1845. l\vo years afterward, 1817, it was purchased by the Ohurcii, and the same year was removed to the eity of Hamilton. The Rev. T. Webstt'r was eontiniuul its Kditor until 18.")0, when Rev. (Jideon Shepperd was appointed. He was suee»»eded, in 18(U\ by Rev. Samuel Morrison. In RSG.'i the Rev. (Jeori't Abbs was elected and continued until 1871, when Rev. .lames (Jardiner was appointi'd. He was followeil, in 1875, by Rev. S. (J. Stone. In 1881, Rev. William Pirritte was appointed Kditor, Dr. Stone continuing Rook Steward, and eontinmd in the editorial chair until the paper was melted into the (fiiardiau in 1884, wIumi Dr. Stone became Associate lOditor of that paper till 1887. Under its successive editors the Advocate wasj u very intluential reli^'ious journal. ^'T 280 Centennial of Canadian Methodism. The Evanffelical Witness, organ of the New Connexion Church, was l>egnn as a monthly in the year 1855, by the Rev. J. H. Robinson, at that time and for many years subse- quent, the English representative of the Methodist New Connexion and its Missionary Superintendent. It soon became a senii-montlily, then a weekly. On Mr. Robinson's appointment to the editorship of the English Methodist New Connexion periodicals, Dr. Wm. Cocker, his successor as Superintendent of Missions, became also his successor as Editor of the Evamjelical Witness, holding the position till his return to England in 1872. Dr. Cocker afterwards became Principal of Ranmoor College, Sheftieid, and is still living. His successor in the (iditorship of the Evangelical Witness was Rev. David Savage, who held the otiice until by the Union of 1874 the Evangelical Wifness was merged in the Christian (luardian, and for a time continued Associate Editor of the consolidated periodical. The Christian Journal, the organ of the Primitive Meth- odist Church, was established in 1857, in Toronto, by the Rev. J. Davidson, who had previously published at his private risk the Evangelist. He continued Editor and Book Steward till 1866, when ha was succeeded by the Rev. T. Cromptoii, who continued Editor till 1870. The Rev. William liowe became Book Steward in 1867, and Editor from 1870 to 1873. The Itev. William Bee became Book Steward and Missionary Secretary in 1872, and continued to di;5oharge the duties of the ortice, with a brief exception, to the time of the Union in 1884. The Rev. Thomas Gut- tery acted as Editor in 1873 and 1874 ; Rev. William Bee, 1874 to 1876 ; Rev. T. Guttery again, 1876 to 1878 ; then the Rev. Dr. AntlifF from 1878 to 1884, the date of the L'nion. Under its successive editors the Journal was a «lf^ IJtcraturc mid Sunday- Schools. 281 periodical of much religious influence, and under the able editorship of Dr. Antlif}', contributed largely to the carry- ing out of Methodist union. The Observe?', the organ of tlie Bible Ciiristiaa Church, was established in 1866 by the Rev, Cephas Barker, a man of great ability and marked individuality of character. It was published for two years in Cobourg, then removed to Bowman ville, Mr. Barker continuing P^ditor till 1880. He was succeeded by the Rev. H. J. Knott, an amiable and scholarly man, who managed the paper with marked ability till his lamented death in 1883. He was succeeded by the Rev, George Webber, who continued in charge till the paper was merged in the Guardian in 1884. It is in its Sunday-school periodical literature that the !nost remarkal)le development in production and in numeri- cal circulation has taken place, especially since the succes- sive recent unions of Canadian Methodism. To the vener- able Dr. Sanderson, a veteran Kditor and Book Steward of the Wesleyan Methodist Church, is due the lionour of organizing its Sunday-school periodical literature. Under the administration, as Book Steward, of the Rev. Dr. Rose, was established that very successful Sunday-school teachers' magazine, the Sunday-school Banner, and the Sunday-school Advocate, under the editorship of the Rev. Dr. Sutherland. The development of these periodicals, especially since the last Methodist Union, has been very remarkable. They trebled in number, several of them more than doubled in size, increased many fold in circulation, and greatly improved in mechanical make-up and illustration. There is scarcely a hamlet or neighbourhood in the English-speaking parts of the country where they no not circulate. They go to the remotest parts of the Dominion, to tlie tishing villages of 19 2= living, brought within the reach of the most remote, the poorest and the humblest of those self-denying teachers of the scholars under their care. They furnish a noble vantage ground for moulding in large degree the future of the Church and nation, in influencing toward piety and godliness in the most susceptible and for- mative period of the minds of the young people of Meth- odism. The circulation of the Sunday-school periodicals has in- creased from a total of 103,729 on March 31st, 1882, to 194,076 on March 31st, 1886, to 252,566 on March 31st, 1890, and to 324,350 on September 1st, 1890. On the completion of the Methodist Union of 1874 was established the Canadian Methodist Magazine, a monthly periodical devoted to religious literature and social pro- gress. It has furnished facilities for the production of a distinctively Canadian literature, and by its means over half /I million of numbers of 100 pages each, including *' insets," or over 50,000,000 pages of high-cliiss literature, have been distributed throughout the Dominion. It Literature and Siinday-ScJwols. 283 4 was onthly 1 pro- ion of s over uding ature, . It has found readers also in almost every State of the neighbouring Republic, and in Great Britain and Ireland, and even in Ceylon, India, China and Ja})an. It is sonie- th'^ 'T to the credit of Canadian Methodism, that when so many attempts to establish a Methodist monthly in the large and wealthy Methodist Episcopal Church of the United States have failed, that of the much smaller and poorer Methodist Church in Canada has been so successful. Nor is this credit lessened by the fact that many attempts have been made in Canada to establish a monthly magazine on secular lines, all of which after a few years ceased to exist, while the Methodist Mar/nzine, which iS frankly denomina- tional and avowedly religious in its purpose and character, was never so strong nor exhibited such vitality as to-day. It has in a remarkable degree assisted to develop the literary ability and character of the writers of Canadian Methodism, many of whom first preened their pinions in its pages, and afterwards on stronger wing took farther flight to other lands. Its artistic development is still more remarkable than its literary success. No other Canadian magazine ever attempted such copious and high-class illustrations or such mechanical excellence in letter-press ; and we know not any other country with an English-speaking population so sparse as our own that has ever attempted such an enterprise. The General Conference of 1890 ordered tlie publication of a new paper, especially adapted to the Epworth Leagues, which were everywhere springing into existence foi- young people in our schools and Bible-classes. In obedience to that injunction, a new paper, an eight-page weekly, Unward^ was established, which has already, in the second month of its publication, reached a circulation of nearly 20,000, and gives promise of great development and improvement. Since 1875, the Sunday-school periodicals and Methodist w Pi ■ V Ir 1 ",)i ji . I i ;s If* 284 Centennial of Canadian Methodism. Magazine have been under the direction of the writer of tliis article. If Canadiaji Methodism had done nothing more than create this large amount of wholesome religious literature, it would have done a great deal, for a Church which has covered the country with a complete network of religious agencies, and in the largest, most populous Province of Ontario has erected more churches than all the other Churches, Protestant and Roman Catholic, together. (See census of 1881.) But it has done a good deal more. It has one of the largest book publishing houses, if not the very largest in the Dominion, from which is issuing a con- stant stream of books, many of them written by Methodist pens; and most, if not all of these, written amid the press- ing duties of circuit life or official duty. One of the earliest, most industrious and strongest writers of early Methodism was the late Rev. Dr. Ryerson — clariun et veneraltile nomen — a statesman and a philosopher, who to his editorial and official work added historical contribu- tions of great and permanent value to the literature of his country. "The Loyalists of America and their Times," in two large octavo volumes, is the most ample and adequate treatment the pilgrim founders and fathers of British Canada ever received — a worthy tribute to a band of heroic men and women, by one who was himself a descendant of that good old stock, and who illustrated in his own person and character their sturdy virtues. His " Epochs and Character- istics of Canadian Methodism," originally contributed to the Methodist Magazine^ is a valuable account of the important ecclesiastical movements in which he himself bore so pro- minent a part. His voluminous official Educational Re- ports were important State papers. His posthumous work, " The Story of My Life," edited by Drs. Hodgins, Nelles Literature and Sunday- Schools. 285 and Potts, is a modest record of a noble life, wl'icb should be for all time an i>icentive to Canadian youth and manhood to moral achievement and attainment. Dr. Ryerson's indus- trious pen left also in manuscript an elaborate work on the later history of England, the result of much original investi- gation in the British Museum and elsewhere. Morgan, in his " Bibliotheca Canadensis," enumerates tifty-eight dis- tinct publications from his busy pen. His best work was his noble Christian life. His effigy in bronze stands in our midst, that successive generations may know the form and semblance of the man. But his grandest monument is the public school system of his native Province, and the Metho- dist Church in this land, which he did so much to found and build. Another of the most racy and readable writers of Cana- dian Methodism was the late Rev. Dr. Caroll, a man revered, honoured and beloved by all who knew him. His chief work, and one that must remain forever indir^pen- sable to those who would know the beginnings of Methodism in this land, is his " Biographical History of Case and His Cotemporariea," a work in five goodly volumes, full of the graphic characterization, the quiet humour, the quaint quips and quirks of one of the most genial as well as one of the most saintly of men — an Israelite, indeed, in whom there was no guile. In the delineation of " Father Corson," pioneer missionary, his pen found another subject congenial to his genius. His " Story of My Boy Life," a graphic volume of early days in Toronto ; and his " School of the Prophets," are brimful of blended humour and pathos. His continuous stream of contributions to the Guardian on every aspect of Church life and Church work, for niany years, would themselves fill several volumes. Many other writers have contributed to the Methodist 286 Centennial of Canadian Methodism. .J s' 1 11 .iV literature of Canada, to wliom we can but briefly refer. Dr. Dewart, the accomplished Editor of the Christian Guardian, is the author of an able volume, entitled, " Living Epistles ; or, Christ's Witnesses in the World," a work which has had a large sale, and one which has won high encomiums from the press. His "Songs of Life," a volume of original poetry, exhibits a high degree of poetic feeling and poetic lire. His " Development of Doctrine " is an able treatise on an important subject. Numerous trenchant pamphlets from his vigorous pen have been called forth by exigent circum- stances of the times. The Rev. Dr. Burwash, the learned Chancellor of Victoria University, has given not merely to Methodism, but to the Church universal one of the best commentaries on the Epistle to the Romans. This is not the judgment of par- tial friends, but of independent and high-class reviewers. His edition of Wesley's Doctrinal Standards, with intro- duction, analysis and notes, is another important contribu- tion to our theological literature. The most conspicuous contribution to distinctively criti- cal literature by a Canadian pen, challenging the attention of the ablest scholars and exegetes of the Old World and the New, is that by a young professor in Victoria University, George Coulson Workman, Ph.D. His learned work on the text of Jeremiah, a critical investigation of the Greek and Hebrew, with the variations in the LXX. retranslated into the original, has won the highest encomiums from the distinguished scholars best competent to judge of its merits. Professor Delitzsch gives it strong commendation, and the ancient University of Leipsic showed its appreciation of Prof. Workman's distinguished scholarship by conferring upon him the degree of Ph.D. Literature and Siinday-Scliools. 287 The Rev. Dr. Poole, beside.s several hooks on practical religion, has issued a large octavo volume entitled, " Anglo- Israel," in which he sets forth and supports with great vigour and learning the theory that the Anglo-Saxon race is identical with the lost tribes of Israel. Whether one accept this theory or not, he cannot but admit the ingenuity and force with which its able advocate urges his contention. The leaders in thought and action of Canadian Metho- dism have been men too exclusively engrossed in the active duties of life to be .' Je to give time to literary work. The late lamented Dr. Nelles, for over thirty years President of Victoria University, a man who possessed an exquisite literary taste and a chaste and polished style, has left little behind him except his noble convocation addresses, and a few published sermons and some admirable contributions to the Methodist Mayazine. His best work was engraven on the hearts and minds of successive generations of students who translated his teachings into high thinking and noble lives — " living epistles known and read of all n)en." So, too, the venerable Dr. Douglas, a man of imperial intellect, of marvellous eloquence, prevented by the constraints of physical infirmity from the use of his pen, lives in the heart and mind of Canadian Methodism chiefly in the memory of his thrilling conference sermons and addresses. But some of these will never be forgotten while the hearer lives ; they were epoch-marking and historic. The Rev. Dr. Carman, with the cares of all the churches coming upon him daily, has found time for a copious correspondence with the public and denominational journals, for important con- tributions to the Methodist Magazine, and for writing a wise and thoughtful and thought-compelling volume on " The Guiding Eye." The Rev. Dr. Staflford, amid the en- I 2(S8 Centennial of Canadian Methodism. P gagements of a busy pastorate, has a similar volume on the kindred subject of '* The Guiding Hand," and has also con- tributed to such high-class reviews as Christian Thought, articles in which his independence of investigation and expression are strikingly exhibited. A book of kindred character has also been written by the Rev. Nelson Burns, M.A. The late Dr. Williams wrote for the connexional monthly many^ valuable articles, besides a series of fine studies in Methodist Hymnody. That accomplished and genial writer, the Rev. Hugh Johnston, has published one of the most charming and in- structive books of travel extant, " Towards the 8un-Rise," being a graphic account of extensive journeying in Central and Southern Europe and in Egypt and Palestine. He has also written with admirable good taste memorial pam- phlets on the Rev. Dr. Punshon, and on several others of the sainted dead of Methodism. The late Rev. J. S. Evans, a cultured and scholarly man, has written a volume of practi- cal theology, which has been received with high praise, entitled, " The One Mediator : Selections and Thoughts on the Propitiatory Sacrifice and Intercession Presented by the Lord Jesus Christ as our Great High Priest." The Rev. S. G. Phillips, M.A., has issued a volume of sermons, well spoken of, on "The Need of the World;" also "From Death to Life ; or, the Lost Found." Dr. Alexander Sutherland, amid the busy occupations of his official life, has found time to contribute important articles to some of the leading reviews, and to publish a volume entitled, " A Summer in Prairie Land," being notes of a tour t'lrough the North- West Territory. The Rev. D. G. Sutherland, LL.B., D.D. has written a charming series of papers on travel in Pales- tine, Turkey and Greece, marked by much grace and scholar- Literature and Sunday-Schools. 289 iding ship. Ill the difficult and ill-requited department of statistics, the Rev. George Cornish, LL.D., has compiled a large and useful octavo volume, giving the record of each minister, and of each circuit and station of the Metho- dist Church in Canada, up to the last Union — a cyclopiedia of Canadian Methodism which is a monument of his accu- racy and fidelity — a vade meciun of all future historians of the Church. The Rev. David Savage, for several years Editor of the Evangelical Witness, the organ of the New Connexion Church, a writer of singular grace and elegance, has pub- lished an admirable life of the Rev. William McClure, one of the most highly venerated ministers of that body, and a number of interesting magazine articles. The Rev. J. C. Seymour, another minister of the New Connexion Church, inherits a remarkable gift for writing, which he has sedulously cultivated by continual practice. He won, in extensive competition, a valuable prize by his essay on "Systematic Gi ng." He has written also, " Voice from the Throne ; or, God's Call to Faith and Obedience," " The River of Life," "The Temperance Battle-field," and a num- ber of graphic studies in biography. The Rev. George Webber, of tje former Bible Christian Church, is the author of two volumes of lectures and essays upon prominent actors in the drama of history. They exhibit extensive reading and a deep insight into character, and are marked in a high degree by the eloquence which graces spoken discourse. The Rev. John Harris wrote a popular life of Francis Metherell, founder of the Bible Christian Church in Prince Edward Island ; and the Rev. John Kenner wrote the life of the Rev. Mr. Beswetherick, a young Cornish minister of remarkable eloquence. I ill ,f itii ti< ' ■ti ' I til 290 Cctitoniial of Canadian Methodism. Tuiuiii^f to tlie Pioviiices of Eastern Uritish America, we tiiicl the Rev. Dr. Lathern, Editor of the Wesleyan, an accomplished litterattur. His " Macedonian Cry : a Voice from the Land of Brahma and Buddha, Africa and the Isles of the Sea, and a Plea for Missions," is a comprehen- sive survey of the wide mission field, and an eloquent appeal to the Church on its behalf. His biography of the late Judge Wilmot is a model of condensed and graphic por- traiture. His '* Baptisma : Exegetical and Controversial," is an admirable presentation of the arguments for pedo- baptism. The llev. T. Wesley Smith, the predecessor in office of Dr. Lathern, has laid universal Methodism under tribute by his admirable history of Methodism in the Maritime Provinces and in the Islands of Newfoundland and Ber- muda, in two fascinating volumes. Few tales of sublimer consecration or more heroic endeavour have ever been penned. It were well if the present generation would become more familiar with the soul-stirring story of the pioneer fathers and founders of Methodism in the New World. The Rev. S. B. Dunn, of the Nova Scotia Conference, is one of the most thorough and accurate students living of Wesleyan hymnody, and of the text of Shakespeare. His serial contributions on these subjects to the Methodist Magazine are among the very best we have seen, and we hope will soon appear in book form. The Rev. Edwin Evans, of the New Brunswick Conference, has written a small volume on " Historic Christianity," which has attracted attention and won high praise in Great Britain. Dr. Richey has written a " Life of William Black," and a volume of sermons of stately rhetoric and high order of Literature and Sttnday-Scliools. 291 thought. Rev. A. W, Nicolsoii has publislied an attiactive life of James B. Mor/ow ; Rev. George O. Huestis, a "Manual of Methodism," succinct and useful; Rev. Dr. Currie, a "Catechism on Baptism." Rev. Matthew R. Knight has published a volume of poems, which entitles him to a prominent place among Cp'iadian bards. Rev. John Solden also published a volume of poetry. Dr. Stewart, of Sackville University, like all our College Presidents, has been compelled to do most of his writing on the hearts and minds of his theological students, but his vigorous contributions to the press would form a large aggregate if collected. In the Newfoundland Conference the Rev. George Bond, M.A., has published in England, in a handsomely illustrated volume, a graphic and touching story of out-port Methodism, with which many of our readers are familiar. His " Vaga- bond Vignettes," or sketches of travel in Egypt and Pales- tine, are possessed of singular grace and elegance. The Rev. Henry Lewis has also written some graphic sketches of Newfoundland life, and the Rev. W. Percival has written one of the best accounts extant of the history of Britain's oldest colony. In the far North-West the Rev. J. McLean, Ph.D., has produced a volume on Indian life and character which pos- sesses much popular interest. He has also won an inter- national reputation as an authority on the Indian languages and the literature connected therewith, and has become a contributor to the transactions of learned societies both in the United States and Canada. The Rev. E. R. Young, for several years a missionary to the Indian tribes, has published, both in Great Britain and Canada, a book of absorbing interest, entitled, " By Canoe and Dog-Train 292 Cciitcnuinl of Canadian MctJiodtsin. <. (' > aiuoiiij tlio Croo and Saultoaiix Indians." Ilo is also con- tributinu; tc the New York Ledger, one of the most widely circulated paj)ei's of the United States, and to an Enji;lish journal of similar character, a series of graphic illustrated articles on life and adventure in the North-West. Another North- West missionary, the Hev. J. 11. Ruttan, has, with inlinite industry and scholarly zeal, prepared a new haruiony of the (tosjicIs, which renders more vivid to the reader the life of our I^ord. • The Kev. Wm. Harrison, of the New l^runswick Confer- ence, has surpassed almost every Canadian writer for the number aiul exc«»llence of his contributions to the reviews and higher religious periodicals of both Canada, Great liritain and the United States, the merit of which has })rocured for him election to the Victoria Institute, one of the leading phih^ophical societies of tlie world. There lies before us a little volume, " Tabor Melodies,'' a series of 2r)0 sonnets on religious subjects, by Mr. Robert Evans, of JIamilton, recently deceased, which are a marvc^l for accurate construc- tion, elevation of thought and noble diction. Such a inr lie j'orce of sustained excellence, when we i-emembei- that many oi them were written on railway trains and amid the distractions of travel, we do not know in literature. The numerous poetical contributions to tlie press of the Rev. Thomas (^leworth also claim mention. In ]\Ir. Percy Pun- shon the poetic and literary instincts and gifts of his honoured sire are conspicuous in the son. The Rev. T. L. Wilkenson has published a Ijirge volume on the subject of *' Christian Baptism," which is regarded as one of the best works t».\tant on this in)j)ortant topic. A little volume of sketches from the note-book of an itinerant. "Smiles and Tears," of blended humour and ill !■ I IS are us inuets lilton, istruc- iur tliat i\ tho The \{r\. Tuu- f his T. I.. 'rt of 3 best of an and IJtcraturc and Sunday- ScJiooh, 293 pathos; a couple of missionary couipilations, and inninnerahle fontrihutions to tho religious press of Canada, (Jreat Britain and the United States, attest the industry ami al)ility of the Kev. Dr. IVtrrass, of the Toronto Conference. Tl>e llev. Principal Austin, of Alma Ladies' (^ollege, has just issued a goodly (piarto voUnne on " Woman, her Char- acter, Culture and Calling," to which \\i> largely contributes, assisted by other Canadian writers. His abh» pamphlet on th(^ .l(>suit (piestion has had, for Canada, an enormous cir- culation. He lias also published "The (lospel to the Poor r.s\ Pew Rents," a vigorous pampldet, and has edited a volume of sermons by Methodist Episcopal nnnisters. T'he Rev. Austin Potter has wi-itten a story -a tremendous indictment of the li(juor tratlic -" From Wealth to Poverty; or. The Tricks of the Tratlic," a stoi'y of the drink curs«\ The annual volumes of the Theological U nions of the Meth- odist Church and the Canaduxn Mctltodist (Jnnrfr.r/i/ /itrivw have develo})ed a lai'ge anuiunt of high class thought and wiiting on tluH)logical, philosophical and religious topics. Of the contributors to this important department of native literature the following is only a partial list : Revs. A. M. Phillips, P.!)., Editor; S. Pond, P.. Ryckman, A. C. Courtice, P».I)., Janu^s Craham, J. W. Pell, P.D., W. W. .Vndrews, P. A., Prof. Padgley, Job Shenton, II. P, Pland, Prof. Shaw, Li..l)., J. P. Ford, B.I)., J. S, Ross, M.A., J. W. Sparling, LL.D., J. Awde, P».A., Prof. Workman, Prof. Wallace, W. Galljraith, LL.B., and others. The Reva. W. S. Blackstock, a practised newspaper littcratruv ; R. Cade, Ceorge Cochran, who did very valuable work in translating tiie Scriptures into Japanese; Dr. Fiby, whose volume of essay:; on " Higher Christian Thought" was very highly commended by Joseph Cook ; J. F. German, Dr. Harper, ill ' !ii ' i'h W >t I) ; >l I ' 204 Ceritemiial of Canadian MetJiodism. John Hunt, Drs. W. J. and S. J. Hunter, Dr. Pirritte, Methodist Episcopal Church ; J. Manley, J. Philp, M.A., J. E. Sanderson, M.A., Le Roy Hooker, who has written the best U. E Loyalist poem produced in Canada ; W. McDonagh, J. R. Gundy, Dr. Pascoe, Dr. AntlifF, Sydney Kendal, whose " New Chivalry " is a stirring Canadian temperance tale; S. Rose, D. L. Brethour, Ph.D., Alex. Burns, LL.D., George McDougall, wiio has written an excellent biography of his sainted sire; J. S. Ross, M.A., James Allen, M.A., Dr. A. H. Reynar, Dr. W. Williams, B. Slierlock, A. Andrews, G. O. Huestis, C. Jost, M.A., Dr. J. Macmurray, and possiVjly others whose names we cannot recall, have also made valuable contributions to Canadian Methodist literature. Among our earlier writers, the Rev. John Ryerson's " Visit to the Hudson Bay Territory " was ahnost, if not quite, the pioneer in that line, as was the Rev, James Playter's " History of Methodism," in another direction. We have not seen the Rev. J. Webster's " History of Canadian Methodism," but we understand that it is a work of much vigour and ability. The Rev. Henry Harris, of the late Primitive Methodist Church, has written a number of works, "Walks in Paradise," "Stray Beams from the Cross," "Words of Life," etc. The Rev. Joseph H. Hilts has also written a graphic work on " Backwoods Itinerant Life." The Rev. T. Davidson wrote a life of the Rev. Mr. Clowes, one of the fathers of Primitive Methodism ; and the Rev. T. Crompton, a thoughtful work on the " Agency of the Church." "William and Mary, a Tale of the Siege of Louisburg," by Rev. David Hickey, has considerable merit. The laymen of Canadian Methodism have been, for the most part, so engrossed in business or professional life that Literature and Stinday-Sdiooh. 295 Lgency lege of they have had little time for purely literary work. But a few names are conspicuous in this respect. Noteworthy among these was the late Senat )r Macdonald, whose volume on "Business Success," and his numerous and graphic letters of travel in Newfoundland, in the West Indies and South America, and on the North- West coast and Alaska, and his numerous contributions in prose and verse to tlie Methodist Magazine, attest his literary instincts and activity. One of the most prominent names in current literature in re- views, magazines and literary periodicals of Canada, (J feat Britain and the United States, is that of J. INIacdonald Oxley, a gentleman of the civil service at Ottawa, and member of the Dominion Church. He has also issued in the United States one or two or three volumes of stories. Pi'ofessor Haanel, late of Victoria University, has contributed to the transactions of the Royal Society some very important papers, describing some of his origi- nal discoveries in science. For rare and accurate classical scholarship, the renderings into Greek and Latin verse of many of the most noted hymns of Christendom, iti the Methodist Magazine, by W. H. C. Kerr, ]M.A., have never been surpassed. Mrs. M. E. Lauder's '* Legends and Tales of the Harz Mountains," and her volume of travels, have the honour of reaching a second edition. Miss May Tweedie, Miss M. A. Daniels, Mrs. T. Moore, and other Canadian Methodist ladies, have written much for the press. Miss I. Templeton-Armstrong's volunie, entitled "Old Vice and New Chivalry," is a strongly written temperance work. The above enumeration, from which we may have omitted some noteworthy volumes, will indicate that there is a con- siderable amount of intellectual literary activitv in Canndian Methodism; and we may anticipate that as opportunities ) ;i I : i I t' ' } : it |l:ii 29G Centennial of Canadian Metliodism. for the publication and sale of their work increases, there may he anticipated a corresponding increase in the literary "output." It would l)e unbecoming for the present writer to refer here to his own humble efforts in literature further than to append a list of his several books.* METHODIST SUNDAY-SCHOOLS IN CANADA. Methodism has ever availed itself of every means which could promote it? great object — the spread of Christian holi- ness throughout the land. Hence its early adoption of lay preaching, o'^t-of-door services, the class-meeting, and notably of the Sunday-school. A» early as 1737, John Wesley gathered the children in Savannah, Georgia, for religious instruction In 1769, Hannah Ball, a young Methodist, established a Sunday- * "The Ciitaconibs of Rome, and their Testimony Relative to Primi- tive Cliristianity,'' l^mo, cloth, pp. 500, with 18() illustrationa, six editions. " I'opular History of Canada," 8vo, ])j». (178, illustrated, four editions. "School History of Canada," l^njo, i)p. .'WO. "Cliantauqna History of Canada," l2mo, ])p. 232. "Onr Own Country," 8vo, pj). (JOS, 3(»0 engravings. "A Canadian in Europe," Iteing sketches of travel in France, Ger- many, Swit/.erland, Italy, Holland and Helgiinn, (Ireat Britain and Ireland, co)>iously illustrated, 12mo, i>p. 374. "Valeria; the Martyr of the Catacombs," a tale of early Christian life in Rome, illustrated. " Neville Trueman, the Pioneer Preacher," a tale of the War of 1812. "The King's Messenger; or, Lawrence Temple's Probation," a story of Canadian life. "The Romance of Missions." "Worthies of Early Methodism." "Creat Preachers, Ancient and Modern." " liife in a Parsonage," a tale of Canadian life. " Men Worth Knowing; or, Heroes of Christian Chivalry." "Modern Missionary Heroes." " The Physiological Effects of Alcohol." "The Bible and the Temperance (.Question." "Is Alcohol Food?" "TIh' Li(iunr Traffic." " Prohibition the Duty of the Hour." " Intemperance; its lilvils and their Remedies," a prize essay, etc. : i Literature ixnd SabhatJi-ScJiools. 297 school in Wycombe. In 1781, finother Methodist, after- wards wife of Samuel ]5radl)urn, in reply to the (juery of Robert Raikes, " What can we do for the untaught children T' suggested gathering them into Sunday-schools. It was done, and in 1784, John Wesley wrote of them in his Journal, "Perhaps God may have a deeper end therein than men are aware of." In the Arminian Maga- zine for January, 17^9, he exhorted the Methodist people to adopt the new institution. Thv^ same year John Fletcher had 300 children under instruction ; next year there were 550 in a school in Bolton, and the following year it had grown to 800, taught by eighty teacher.s. In 1787, there were 200,000 children gathered into Sun- day-schools. The same year John Wesley wrote, " It seems that there will be one great means of reviving religion throughout the nation." In 178G, the tirst Sunday-school in the New World was established by Francis Asbury, and as one of its results, a converted scholar became one of the pioneer Methodist preachers. It is difficult to determine when Methodist Sunday- schools were first introduced into Canada. The Metro- politan Church in this city traces its pedigree directly to a school established in the old wooden, first Methodist church on the corner of King and Jordan Streets, on the site where now stands the new Bank of Commerce. Out of this school have grown many others in Toronto and the surrounding country, whose influence on the growth of Methodism and the advancement of the cause of God is simply incalculable. In Montreal, Kingston, Belleville, Hamilton, London, and other centres of population and influence, Methodist Sunday-schools were early established, 20 mi \ 298 Centennial of Canadian Methodism. which have multiplied and spread till the land is covered with a complete network of them. Scarcely a village or hamlet in the English-speaking part of the country are without Methodist Sunday-schools, which outnumber in Ontario those of all the otlier Protestant denominations taken together. The successive unions which have taken place among the different branches of Methodism, while they liave in many places consolidated two or three schools into one, have led to a great aggregate increase, both in the number and strength of the schools and in general pros- perity of our Sunday-school interests. We cannot give detailed record of progress, but the following summary must suffice. One of the most important helps in the development of our Sunday-schools has been the Sunday-school Aid and Extension Fund, which began on a very small scale in the year 1875. This fund is maintained by one collection taken up in each school during the year. From it grants of books and papers are given in small amounts for the establishment of new schools, and the support of needy ones in remote and destitute parts of the country, especially among the lishing villages of Newfoundland and the Mari- time Provinces ; among the new settlements of the Upper Ottawa, in Muskoka, Algoma, British Columbia, Manitoba and the North- West. Many grateful testimonies show the invaluable help which has been given by these grants. By means of this fund 498 new schools have been established in the last Quadrennium, a>id very many more, which in all probability could not have maintained an existence without the aid of the fund, have been liberally assisted. Schools applying for aid are required, if possible, to contribute something toward the grant given. In this way the schools Literature a?id Sabbath-Schools. 299 assisted have, during the Quadrenniu.n, contributed in part payment for grants the sun, of $5,175, as against .^1 8->o during the previous Quadrennium, an increase of $3 353 Statement of growth of the income of the Sunday-school T^-^ J^^Tf"""" ^^""'^ "^^^ establishment in 1875: 18/o-$29..08; 1876-$504,77 ; 1877-$610 97- 1878- ^2.80; 1879-$699.02; 1880-^786.88; 1881-^916 53 • 1882_..928.61; 1883-$1,365.30; 1884-$1,548 46 1885 -$2,177 92; 1886-12,626.30; 1887-$3,215.79 ; 1888-1 SS. ''''--''''^'^-^' 1890-83,517.80. Total. ,0^^^"!"^?^^"'^' ''' income from part payments: l883-$19.3.;,o; 1884-$287.33 ; 1885-$511.81 • 1886- $^39; 1887-$1,179.82; 1888 - $1,403.17;' lJ^9^ 11,24:3.11; 1«90-$1,. 347.54. Total, $6,997.72. METHODIST EDUCATION IX CANADA. BY THE KKV. NATHANIKL BL'RWASH,. H.T.I)., CHAN'CELLOU <>F VICTORIA UXIVER.SITY. AT the Conference next following the independent organi- zation of Canadian Methodism two most important enterprises were undertaken by the young Church. They were botli rendered essentially necessary by the circumstan- ces of the times, and were the direct outcome of the struggle in which our fathers were engaged, to secure for themselves and for tiieir children complete civil and religious liberty. The first was the publication of a weekly religious news- paper, which was jirojected, not merely for devotional and religious purposes, l»ut especially as a means of awakening the interest and directing the thought and action of the Methodist public on the moral and religious aspects of all living questions. The other enterprise was initiated by a resolution of Conference in 1829, to provide for the higher education of the young people of the Church, and especially for tlie rising ministry. In the following year a constitution for the pro- jected seminary, to be called Upper Canada Academy, was adopted, and efforts were at once put forth to raise the necessary funds. The Methodists of that time numbered few men of wealth, being principally farmers, still engaged in the struggle to create productive homesteads out of primitive ii 11^ Mi m ■Imi ^i F ' < i 302 Centennial of Canadian Met/iodisni. forests. To raise the $50,000 needed to build and equip their seminary was a more gigantic undertaking than would be the raising of two millions by the united Canadian Methodism of to-day, or of twenty millions by the wealthy Methodism of the United States. But to these fifty men of faitii the task was God's command, and it must be done. If the work placed in their hands by God was to be carried forward, a ministry so educated as not to be disparaged by the side of the university men supplied to the Anglican and Presbyterian churches from the old seats of learning in Great Britain must be secured for Methodism. If, in the councils of the nat'on and in the great politico-religious questions of the day, they were to make tlieir influence felt, theii" sons must be educated. Under this supreme sense of duty, as it must then have appeared to them, the work was undertaken, and, in seven years from the time of its first mention in Conference, was completed, free from debt. Of the efibrt put forth to bring about such a consummation some idea may be formed from a few sentences of a letter, written by the Chairman of the Board engaged in erecting the building to the Rev. Egerton Ryerson, who was then in England soliciting funds and a royal charter for the insti- tution : " You must stay in England until the money is got. Use every effort. Harden your face to flint, and give elo- quence to your tongue. This is your calling ; excel in it. Be net discourajjed with a dozen refusals in succession. The money must be had, and it must be begged. My dear brother, work for your life, and 1 pray God to give you success. Do not borrow, if possible. Beg, beg, beg it all. It must be done." Such was the spirit of conviction, and such the effort of these founders of our Church. 1 Alethodist Education in Canada. 30:^ Nor were the financial difficulties the only ones to be overcome in this enterprise. It was considered ntcessary that the institution should possess corporate powers and conduct its operations under the provisions of a charter, k^uch a charter could only, at this time, be obtainc^l directly from the Kin<,' himself, acting, of course, through the Colo- nial Secretary, who again was to be appi'oached through the Governor of Upper Canada. It might be supposed that such an enterprise as the founding of a seminary of learning in a young colony, which at that time possessed but one institution of the class proposed, would meet with the most ready acquiescence and approbation of the authorities, both in our own country and in the parent land. In England these anticipations were not disappointed, but in Canada the representatives of our Church had to force their way through almost every possible form of official obstruction and delay, and even insult, before the desired object was obtained. The institution thus founded was opened for academic work June 18, 1836, with the Rev. Mattiiew Riclu'y as Principal. Mr. llichey was a native of Ireland. Classically educated in the land < f his birth and converted under the ministry of Methodism about twenty years before this time, he emigrated to America, and in the Maritime Provinces consecrated his rare gifts of eloquence to the work of the ministry. He was a master in pulpit eloquence ; splendid in diction, rich and b autiful in thought, luminous in expo- sition of truth, association with him was in itself an inspir- ing education to the young men of that day. At the close of the lirst year the new Academy numbered 120 students on its roll, and was fully organized under the royal charter granted October 7tii, 183G, by His Majesty King William ii!; .,3 ' " '54 ' -St 304 Ceniemiial of Canadian MetJiodism. IV.; and was, by the aid of a royal f^rant, free from debt. During the three years of Mr. Richey's presidency the Church already began to reap the fruits of her enterprise in the addition to the ranks of the ministry of such names as G. R. Sanderson, James Spencer and T. B. Howard, all trained in the Academy, and in after years doing honour to their alma mater. In 1839 Mr. Ricliey was succeeded by the Rev. Jesse Hurlburt, M. A., a graduate of Wesleyan University, Middle- town, a finished scholar and a very able educator. Asso- ciated with him was also another gentleman, then just beginning a distinguished career as an educator, the Rev. D. C. Van Norman, M.A. Under their control the Academy continued to increase in popularity and usefulness both to the Church and to the country. It was dui ing this period that the Rev. IT. B. Steinhauer, himself an Indian of pure blood, laid the foundation of tliat scholarship which served him so well in the translation of the entire Scriptures into the Cree language of our North-Western plains, as well as in his long and successful work as a missionary teacher and preaclier. The mention of such names as Lieutenant-Governor Aikins, Lieutenant-Governor Richey, M. B. Roblin, Esq., Horace Yeomans, Esq., Colonel Stough- ton Dennis, A. E. Van Norman and O. W. Powell ; with such ladies as Mrs. Nathan Jones, the Misses Adams, Mrs. Yeomans, Mrs. Judge Macdonald and Mrs. I. B. Howard, will show to those acquainted with the inner history of Canadian Methodism, as well as with our political and social life, how important was the work of this period and how widespread its influence. After five years of successful academic work, during which hundreds of youth of both sexes and various religious Methodist Education in Canada. J505 denominations received a substantial education, Upper Canada Academy, by Act of the Provincial Parliament, was endowed with university powers and became, under its extended royal charter, Victoria College, on August 27th, 1841. In October of that year, the Rev. E. Ryerson, I), D., was appointed the tirst principal of the college and professor of moral philosophy, and on the 'J 1st of that month opened the session and commenced his dutifs by a public address to the students. This was the tirst opening in Ontario of an institution authorized to confer degrees. Queen's College and University (Presbytt rian) was opened on the 7th of March, 1842 ; and King's College, the then provincial college under the control of the Church of p]ngland, on the 8th of June, 1843. To the Methodist Church belongs the honour of leading the way in university work in Western Canada. During the first year the management of the incipient university devolved on the Rev. Mr. Hurlburt. In June, 1842, Dr. Ryerson, released from external labours which had devolved upon him, devoted himself more fully to his college work. The occasion was marked by an inaugural address more formal and comprehensive than that of the preceding October, and setting forth the conception enter- tained by the new president of the university training required by the Canadian student. On two points he antici- pates the great movement of university reform of modern times. The iiist is the prominent position which he assigns to the English language and literature as elements of a university education. At the close of several pages devoted to this subject, he says, " What I have said is designed to show that I do not undervalue the English classics and the philosophical and literary resources of our own language, and that youth who cannot acquire the mastery of other 306 Centennial of Canadian MetJiodisni. !J / tongues ought not to be excluded from the invaluable mines of Nvisdom and knowledge which are contained in their own tongue." The second is the appreciation of the physical sciences. On this point lie says : "The physical sciences have, as yet, received little attention in our higher schools in this Pro- vince. Instruction has been chietly confined to tlie classics, and students have acijuired little or no knowledge of natural philosophy, chemistry, miiKralogy, geology, astro- nomy, etc., except what they have attained in anothei" Province, or in w tbieign country. If one branch of educa- tion must Ix; omitted, surely the knowledge of the laws of tlu^ universe is of more practical advantage, socially and morally, than a knowledge of (Jreek and Latin." The magnilicent modci-n cour.ses of science in our uni- versities have not passed the limit luM'e sketched. In com- mencing his v/oi'k. Dr. Ilyer.son was su})ported by a stall' of men distinguished for learning but still more for individual ability as educators. Mr. Hurlburt becaun^ professor of the natural sciences. Mr. Van Norman, distinguished as a grammarian, became the {)i'of(\isor of classics. 'I'o these were added Mr. Will'" m Kingston, M. A., whose repu tion as a protessor of mathematics was well known to some thirty successive classi's of students iti the halls of Victoria. In addition to these, an Knglish master was employed ; the second of these, the Rev. .lames Spencer, M.A., was well known afterward as a man of m ii-k in (^imidian Metho- dism, wielding a gifted pen, and editor of the C/n'iftfum Gnnrdian. J)r. Hyer.son evidently understooil that the strength of an institution of leai'ning lies not so much in magniticont buildings or expensive? etniipments, as in men of rare ability as teachers; and in the selection of these he MetJiodist Education in Canada. 307 3 mines jir own ?iences. as yt't, lis Pro- .ilassics, mI'T*'! ot* ■, astro- anotluM- f oduca- laws of illy and [)ur uni- In coin- , stall' ot" dividual o.ssoi- of lii'd as a o those u tion o sonie ii'toria. (>d ; the as well Metho- li 7' 1st Ian hat tho much in in men these lie was singularly fortunate. Around such a college president, and such a faculty, there gathered at once the strongest young mind of the country. The name of Rev. S. S. Nelles, D.D., LL.l).; Rev. Wiliianj Ormi.ston, D.l)., Li..I). ; Rev. W. S. Gritlin, 1).]).; lion. Senator J?rouse, M.D. ; H«)n. William McDougall, C.H. ; Judge Springer, M.A.; .1. K. ilodgin.s, M.A., LL.l)., Deputy Minister of Education ; J. L. Biggar, ^LP., will be recognized as men eminent in Church and State, and in college life and wo; k, all of whom were students of this period. Of Dr. Ryerson's work as College President, Dr. Ormiston writes : — " Tn the autumn of l.Sl.'i T w<'nt to Victoria College, doubting much whether T wms prepared to mati'iculate as a freshman. Though my attainments in some of the subjects prescribed for examination were far in advance of the recpiirements, in other subjects 1 knew I was sadly d«'fi- cient. On the eNcnitig ol" my ai'ri\al, while my mind was burdened with the importance of the stej) I had taken, and by no means free from anxiety about the issiu , Dr. liyeison, at that time Principal of the Crllegc, visited \i\o in my room. 1 shall never forget that interview. He took me by the hand, and few men could express as much by a mere handshake as ho. It was a welcome, an encouragement, an inspiration, and an eariu^st of futui-e fellowshi;. and friendsfiij). ^t lessenetl tlu; timid awe I naturally felt toward one id so elevated a position. I had nev«'r liefoi-e seen a principal of a college , it dissipated all boyish awk- wardness and awakened tiliai conlidem-e. H«^ spoke of Scotland, my native land, and of her nol»Ie sons, distin- guished in (»very bi'ani'h of philosophy and liteiature ; specially of the numltei', the diligence, the frugality, self- denial, and success of her college students. In this way he soon led me to tell him of my parentag«% past lite and efforts, [)rrsent hopes and aspirations. His manner was so gracious and paternal, his sympathy so (piick and genuine, his counsel so ready and clauMing, his assurances so grateful 30S Centennial of Canadian MetJiodism. u ) and inspiring, that not only was my heart his from that hour, but my future career seemed brighter and mone certain than it had ever appeared before. Dr. Ryerson was, at that time, in tlie prime of a magniticent manhood ; his mental powers viirorous and well-disciplined, liis attain- ments in literature extended and diversified, his fame as a preaciier of great pathos and power, widely spread. . . . As a teacher, lie was earnest and eliicient, eloquent and inspiring. His methods of examination furnished the very best of mental discipline, fitted alike to cultivate the memory and strengthen the judgment. All the students revered him, but the best of the class appreciated him most. His counsels were faithful and judicious, his admonitions paternal and discriminating, his rebukes, seldom adminis- tered, but scathingly severe. No student ever left his presence without lesolving to do better, to aim higher, anil to win his approval." The presence of such a nian, suriounded and supported by able instructors in various departmei\ts of learning, was sufficient to give great popularity to this lirst Canadian college, and (juickened the spirit of the whole people in the direction of higher learning, until, by 1843, there were three colleges in active operation in Ontario, besides iNtcGill, in Quebec. An eflbrt was made at that early date to com- bine the three colleges of the western provinces in a Pro- vincial University. The Hon. Mr. Baldwin introduced a bill for University Federation, but the defeat < ' tf»e minis- try prevented its becoming law. ''lie attempt w;'- renewed in 184G, with no better success, and when a Li; \ersity Bill was tinally passed in 1840, it included but one of the three colleges. Meantime the first principal. Dr. Ryerson, was called to the chief superintendency of education for the Province. His place was filled by the Rev. Alexander McNab, D.D., Methodist Education in Canada. .S09 111 that more )n was, •d ; liis attaiu- iie as a lit and le very ite the tudents ti most. >iiitions diuinis- left his ler, and pportod nuj, was inadiau ill the e were McGill, ;o coni- a Pro- uced a minis- newed \ersity of the ailed to •ovince. I, D.D, under whose administration the college held a good position for four years, numbering in 1848, 140 students. During this period Judge Springer, Rev. Dr. Ormiston, Rev. Prof. Wright, Dr. Cameron and ]Mr. Campbell were graduated in arts. The resignation of Dr. McNab, in 1849, closed the first period of the history of Victoria College, in which the institution was limited to purely college work, that is, the training of students in the elements of a general and liberal education, leading to the B.A. degree. Disturbing influences connected with the resignation of the principal and an interregnum of a year and a half, dis- persed the students and seriously interfered with the future prospects of the college. The Methodists were anxious to fall in with the popular movement for a national university. Negotiations were commenced with that in view, and a bill obtained authorizing the removal of the college to Toronto. The Government of the day did not, however, prove to be sufficiently earnest in purpose to carry the matter to com- pletion, and the only result was the abortive afUliation pro- vision of the University Act of 185:5. jMeantime, the leaders of Methodism felt that the positir)n won by such noble and self-sacrificing efforts in the past must not be abandoned, and a young minister just ordained, a graduate of Wesleyan University, Middletown, and one of the first under-gradu- ates of Victoria under Dr. Ryerson, was called to preside over the destinies of the Methodist college in September, 1850. This was the Rev. S. S. Nelles, M.A., with whose name the history of Victoria, in its growth toward univer- sity status, is most intimately henceforward associated. The young Principal was then but twenty-seven years of age ; an excellent scliolar, an eloquent preacher, and a most 1^ * m %\ ■'1,1' 'j- 310 Centennial of Canadian MetJiodism, successful and thorough teacher, but with a task before him of great difficulty. The college treasury was empty. There was absolutely no endowment. The buildings and furniture, n^ter fifteen years of constant wear by hundreds of students, were sadly in need of repair and renewal. The able pi'ofessors of other days had betaken themselves to other work, and there were scarcely thirty students (but two matriculated) to respond to his call of college opening. To raise funds for an endowment sufficient to bring the annual income of the college up to $5,000, to organize an efficient staff of professors, to attract and organize students once more into the relations of college life, in fact, to resuscitate the college, was the work before him. Meantime the Revs. John Ryerson, Dr. E. Ryerson, Richard Jones and Dr. Green, J. P. Roblin, M.P., John Counter, Esq., and Rev. William Case of the original founders, were still membei's of the corporation, and afforded counsel and support; while Dr. Wood, Dr. Rice and Mr. Musgrove, who represented English Methodism, and three old students, Messrs. Sanderson, Biggar and Powell, were added to the corporation, and lent their help in the effort. The first struggle was for financial relief. This was attempted in September, 1851, by the inauguration of what was known as the scholarship scheme— an effort to raise $50,000 by the sale of 500 scholarships, good for free tuition in tiiis college for twenty-five years from that date. At the following Conference, consisting of, all told, 150 ministers and preachers, ninety of these scholarships were sold to minis- ters, and becween three and four hundred were disposed in all, realizing about $30,000 in principal, but depriving the institution of all income from fees, for twenty-five years to come. Methodist Education in Canada. 311 re him There )nstant repair tetaken tliirty call of ifficient ,000, to ,ct and ege life, )re him. Richard counter, rs, were But, if not a grand success in raising funds, the scholar- ships were a means of increasing tlie number of students. Meantime the Board were also successful in brinsjinjj to the support of tiie Principal, three very able members of the former staff: Prof. Kingston, in mathematics; Prof. John Wilson, in classics; and Prof. John Beatty, M.D., in natural science. These men were as varied in gifts and scholarship as the departments over which they presided. Prof. Kings- ton was an embodiment of the exactness of mathematical science, and no student could pass through his hands with- out learning to define and demonstrate. Prof. Wilson, of Trinity College, Dublin, was famed for the unfailing accu- racy and extent of his scholarship, for his tine literary taste, and for the beautiful Christian perfection of Ins character, which was a constant living example to all the boys. Dr. Beatty w'as a scientist, a man of the world, and a leader in the Church ; one of those clear, active, versatile and strong minds, that young men delight to follow. When at the head of all these was placed the learning, tlie philosophical acumen, the brilliant eloquence, and the administrative ability of the President, Victoria found a staff, which for the purposes of college discipline, could not easily be excelled. Meantime, under their hands, the gathered masses of raw material soon began to organize into a well-defined college life. Tlie number of students rose to nearly 300, and the regular undergraduate classes, which had all disappeared save one, during the interregnunj, were again filled out. At this formative period, when the traditions which so powerfully regulate student-life were being established, it was the blessed fortune of the college to be visited with a great revival. An old student, Rev. G. 11. Sanderson, was the pastor. About a dozen faithful, godly young men, the ■ 1 'l' J ' 312 Centennial of Canadian Methodism. most of whom are prominent leaders in the Church to-day (four have been Conference Presidents), formed a band for prayer and work among their fellow-stadents. When the work began, not twenty-five per cent, of the students were professing Christians. At tiie end, not five per cent, were left unmoved by the power of saving grace. Out of the fruits of that revival came a score of ministers, a number of Conference Presidents, one of our General Superinten- dents, and a large number of the leading Christian laymen of our Church to-day. But better even than that, the ablest, oldest and most advanced students all converted, a high moral and religious tone became an established tradi- tion of the college, continuously maintained through the thii'ty classes that have graduated out of college to this day. There has been very little serious difliculty about the discipline of the college from that day to this. It was about this time that Rev, Dr. Rice became associated with the institution as moral Governor and Chaplain, and by the great force of his Christian character did much to establish and perfect the religious life commenced in the great re- vival. The period had now arrived for the expansion of the college life and work into that of the university. The development of Victoria University was at fit'st along the old-fashioned line, and fortunately in such a way as not to interfere with college work. A faculty of medicine was established in 1804, but in the city of Toronto, and with an entirely independent teaching stafl' and financial man- agement. A similar faculty of law was added in 1860, and a faculty of theology, in closer relations to the college, in 1871. During all this time the faculty of arts adhered faithfully to the old college discipline of classics, mathe- g the not to ! was with man- 0, and ge, in Methodist Education in Canada. 818 matics, and philosophy, with a moderate addition of modern literature and science. The number of underj^raduates in arts exceeded at no time 150, and no Canadian college did more thorough work along this line than Victoria. Her university work in distinct lines gave her the advantage of moral influence and support in the country, as her graduates in medicine alone now number over one thousand. Victoria has, however, shared with all other American institutions the influence of modern ideas, and has felt the pressure of the claims of modern science. As early as 1856, the introduction of Dr. Whitlock, formerly of Genesee Wesleyan Seminary and College, into tiie stafl', in the department of natural philosophy, gave an impulse in that direction. He was a man of rare genius — a philosopher rather than a professor, who thought aloud before his class, and suftered them to imbibe the tire of his own spirit. He was followed, in 18G4, by Dr. Harris, now of Amherst College, a man who had then just graduated from .a Germ.an university, and who moulded students with a strong hand, leaving on all his men a very decided impress of the cul- ture of physical and chemical science. Meantime other changes favoured tliis incipient tendency. Professor Bain succeeded Professor Kingoton in the chair of mathematics, bringing from Europe the modern taste for the employment of mathematics as the instrument of scientitic investigation. A chair of Knglish literature was established in the hands of Professor Keynar, and a new impulse given to that department, as well as to modern literature genterally. Finally, in 1873, Dr. Haanel took charge of the depart- ment of science. Bringing with him tine scholarship, and employing it with an ability and enthusiasm rarely equalled, what was a chair, under his hand soon expanded into a 81 314 Centennial of Canadian MetJiodism. t, 1, ^4 'a I !' '^ , ( department, presenting a complete curriculuni in science, embracing varied work in mathematics and modern litera- ture, and rendering necessary tlio chair in natural history and geology, now filled by Dr. Coleman, and the erection of Faraday Hall for the s ience department. These steps in advance were not taken without involving considerable financial embarrassment. In 1860, an effort was made to claim the relations to the Provincial university system, to which the early history of Victoria University fully entitled her. But the effort, while resulting in good to the university work of the country at largn, brought Victoria merely a slightly increased subsidy from the public funds. A considerable debt had accumulated during the ten years of struggle in which Dr. Nelles and his staff' had been engaged to secure a position as a university, and which was wiped out by the energetic efforts of Rev. Dr. Ayles- worth, between the years of 18G2 and 1865, and the college placed in a position to make income equal to expenditure. Scarcely, however, was this eflVcted, wlien, in 18G8, a com- bination of adverse forces in Parliament deprived both Victoria University and Queen's College of the annual grants which for twenty-seven years they had received from the Government ; and financial ruin once more stared our college in the face. At this juncture the late Dr. Punshon became associated with Canadian Methodism. He at once threw his influence int > the effort made by President Nelles for the college endowment. The Conference seconded and supported the work, its members for several years taxing their salaries to meet the annual deficit. In a few years an endowment of $100,000 was raised, more than replacing the grant so unceremoniously withdrawn. At the same time the growing necessities of tlie university began to u Methodist Education in Canada. ;n5 attract the attention of broad-minded, generous and wealthy men. The late Edward Jackson led the way in this work. The theological department was projected under his patron- age ; he, and his equally generous and devoted wife, con- tributing by gift and bequnst, .^30,000 for this purpose, resulting in the appointment of the writer as Dean of the faculty of theology and Professor of Biblical and systematic theology. A few years later, another gentleman, a partner and life-lotig friend of Mr. Jackson, Dennis Moore, Esq., contributed $25,000, to assist in the extension of the depart- ment of science. The death of Dr. Ryerson was the occasion of a worthy memorial effort, now nearly completed, to endow the chair of moral philosophy which he had tilled during his presidency, with the sum of $35,000. The late Sheriff Patrick has also left a bequest of some $20,000, so that at the time of the Union, the assets of the College were about $250,000, and the annual income about $20,000. In the meantime, the collateral branches of the educa- tional work of Canadian Methodism in Ontario had grown up side l)y side with this parent stem. Victoria University, as we have traced its history, while at tirst the college of an almost united Meohodism, became specially the institution of the Wesleyan Methodists, liut the Episcopal branch of Methodism laid its foundations so broadly in the Province of Ontario as to be able, in 1857, to found a second Metho- dist seminary of learning. At its he.ad was placed one of Victoria's oldest graHuanes, the Rev. Albert Carman, D.D., now General Superintendent of the Methodist Church. For nine years after its foundation the work of the institution was entirely of an academic character. Its success in this respect led to the belief that the interests of the Church it represented, and also the interests of higher education, % 1 1' 1 1 >,■ 1 ' riS III ■ LV..' 316 Cejitennial of Cayiadian Methodism. would be better served if it were in possession of university powers. An Act of Parliament to tliat effect was obtained in 186G, and the institution exercised its university func- tions until its consolidation with Victoria, in 1884. Dur- ing these eighteen years it graduated seventy-six young men as Bachelors of Arts Among these may be mentioned the senior gr-aduates, Rev. Dr. Aylesworth, pastor of one of the Methodist Churches, Strathroy ; Judge Carman, Cornwall ; Rev. Dr. Lane, for several years, until failing health forced him to retire from the pulpit, one of the leading preachers in New Yoik city Methodism ; Rev. Dr. Badgley, Professor of Mental and Moral Philosophy in Victoria University ; Dr. Mclntyre, for many years Principal of Brantford Ladies' College, and now Principal of the Ladies' College, Bloor Street, Toronto ; Principal Austin and Pro fessor Warner, of Alma Ladies' College ; Principal Dyer, of Albert College; Rev. F. McAmmond, Principal of Stanstead College ; A. W. Bannister, Principal of St. Fran- cis College ; Rev. Dr. George, of Belleville ; Piev. J. Burton, Toronto ; H. F. Gardiner, editor of the Hamilton Tinieti, and for many years one of the foremost reporters and lead- ing writers in Canadian journalism ; and F. VV. Merchant, one of the most representative teachers in the Province, and now Principal of the Collegiate Institute, London. From 1858 to 1876 the institution was under the able and vigorous administration of Rev. Dr. Carman, General Superintendent of the Methodist Church. For the next ten years the Rev. Dr. Jacques was President. He was suc- ceeded four years ago by the present Principal, Rev. W. P. Dver, M.A. Since the Union the institution has been in affiliation with Victoria University, to which it is a most important Methodist Education in Canada. 317 auxiliary, and to wliicli the Rev. E. I. Badgley, LL.D., has been transferred, as Professor of ^Mental and floral Pliilo- sopliy. From its foundation until the present the school has been open to both sexes. The number of f^raduates in arts repre- sents but a f taction of the work done. The records show an annual attendance, from 1857 to the present, of from 100 to 200 students. Since the Union the attendance has largely increased, the result of a larger constituency being opened to it, and its influence upon the Church and upon the public is constantly growing. About the year 18G0, the attention of Canadian Metho- dism was Hrst seriously turned to the important department of higher education represented by the Ladies' College. The Upper Canada Academy in its tirst inception had provided for the education of both sexes. The Belleville Seminary had been founded upon the same principle of co education. In these days no Canadian young woman had as yet ventured upon a university course, and the elevation of Victoria to university status had virtually excluded the ladies from its halls. The Rev. Dr. Rice, Rev. Dr. Rose, and Rev. Richard Jones all threw themselves with great enthusiasm into the project of founding a college especially adapted for the edu- cational requirements of young ladies. In this task they were nobly seconded by such men as E^dward Jackson, Edward Grrney, Dennis Moore, the late Dr. McQuesten, and the Hon. W. E. Sanford. The result of their work was, in 1861, the opening of the Wesley an Ladies' College, of Hamilton, which has now for thirty years maintained its position as the pioneer in this special line of educational work. Commencing its work with a faculty of great ability, including such names as the Rev. Dr. Rice, in Moral Pliilo :^ Hi i ill ■'.~h- • 'i ■ + !l I- .I/ 318 Centennial of Canadian Met/iodistn. sophy ; the Rev. Wesley P. Wright, M. A., in Science ; the JVIisses Adams, the one as Lady Principal, the other as Pro- fessor of Mathematics ; it lioon won for itself a high reputa- tion for the thoroughness of its intellectual work, for the genuine refinement of its Christian culture, and for its deep moral power in moulding the nohlest types of womanly character. The success of this first institution led to the founding of the Ontario Ladies' College, at Whitby, in 1874, principally through the self-sacrificing eflforts of the Rev. Jos. E. San- derson, M.A. Another decade brought the founding of Alma College, at St. Thomas, by the Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Cliurch in Canada. At the head ot these three institutions we have now placed respectively the Rev. Alexander Burns, D.D., LL 1)., Principal of the Wesleyan Ladies' College; the Rev. J.J. Hare, M.A , Ph.D., Principal of the Ontario Ladies' (College ; and the Rev. B. F. Austin, M.A., B.D., Principal of the Al- , College. In each of these men the Church has founc h university attainments, combined with great ability as educators and administrators, and no institutions in our country stand higher than these in the confidence of the public in their moral and intellectual character. Of late years the education of the women of our land has taken a new departure In 1884, Queen's and Victoria conferred the first degrees in Arts on Ontario ladies, follow- ing Mount Allison, from which young ladies had graduated in Arts in 1875 and in 1882. This movement has now permanently established itself in all our universities, and the lady students alone in the universities of Ontario can now be numbered by the hundred, and the lady graduates by the score. One of its results has been the affiliation of m Methodist Education in Canada. .319 our Ladies' Colleges with Victoria University, affording our young ladies all the advantages of the a'sthetic culture of the special provisions of their own institutions, and com- bining with this the advanced special learning of the university cui'riculuni. \\\ a curriculum of six years, four in the Ladies' Colh^ge, including such liranches of lesthetic culture as her natural gifts may indicate, and two in the university, completing her higher intellectual training, the daughter of Canadian Methodism has offered to her educa- tional facilities not to he excelled in any land. The last step in the Methodist educational system in Ontario is of too recent date to be considered as a matter of history. It will rather constitute the foundation of the educational work of our second century than appear as a constituent part of that of the first. The work which we have described, built up in all its essential elements by men who have alreadv entered into rest, has ripened into a com- pleteness independent in itself. It takes up our young men and women at that point in their educational course when they are first separated from home. It avails itself in the public system of all which can be furnished by the State to the child still under the care of the parent. In such in- stitutions as Albert, Alma, the Wesleyan and Ontario, it combines the Christian home with the college discipline, and carries our youth up into a comparatively mature young man — or womanhood. Finally it projects itself into the university sphere where again it links itself with the pro- visions of the State, and infuses into the highest forms of intellectual culture both the spirit and the truths of our holy religion. We hope that it may yet be regarded as the crowning glory of this system, that in taking its leave of those whom it has guided through six of the most critical 320 Centennial of Canadian Methodisni. ill I m , I Is ■•• years of huinuti life, it transf(M-.s them at once into tlie great brotherhood of the Christian State, as well as into the brotherhood of the Mt thodist Church, If this broader Christian s{)irit is fully secured, the two or three years spent in the halls of the federated National and Methodist Universities will be anions the most fruitful of the whole course. As a total result of our lifty-tive years' work in general education in the Province of Ontario, these institu- tions have j,n-aduated ;")")() students to tlu^ decree of H.A., more than 500 more to degrees which represent a university standinj' of the second or third vear, while the total num- ber of students educated within their various halls, would be numbered by the tens of thousands, 'i'he entire present Stat! in Arts of the University, with its four atHliated colleges, numbers over fifty profc.ssors and teachers, and the number of students enrolled last year in Arts work was 879. The special trainin^x of the candidates for the Christian ministry is by some regarded as the sole form of educational work tc which the Christian Church is called. Canadian Methodism has never yet accepted this position. It is not W\% traditional policy of our Church. Hut while a broader view of our responsibilities has governed the plans and labours of the past sixty yeais, at no time has our Church lost sight of the importance of an educated and trained ministry. As far back as ISlT), measures were adopted for the direction of the studies of candidates for th<* Christian ministry, and th(; Presiding Elders were ordered to devote special attention to this duty. In the first college curricu- lum of 1841 and ISt'J divinity had its place, and the Principal was also professor of theology. In the year 1871, a school of 'J'heology was practically organized in Victoria Methodist i'.ihuatioH In ( 'aturdd. n^i 71, )ria University. From this seliool in twenty years 350 students have ent(>recl the ministry of our Cliuioh. The school is now provided with a stroni; working faculty covering all tiie important parts of the njost advanced theological curri- culum in the work of the lecture-room. Before passing away from the educational history of Ontario Methodism, thei'e aie a few names of the sainted dead who must receive special mention, 'i'iie ehxpient Dr. Richey was our lirst principal. The mighty Dr. Ryer.soii was our first college piei.ident. The hrilliant Dr. Nelles built our college into a university. The nohle Dr. l^ice laid the foundations of higher education for our daughters, and the saintly X'^r. .Mc('lure was the forerunner of our tii(?o- logical schools The means for the foundation of a theo- logical school were not given iiim, hut for one branch of our Methodism he did the work of a divinity school by his own untiring eftort.s. The fruits of that elVort stand among our best men of the pulpit and the pen to-day. The special development of Methodist education in the Province of Quebec dates from 1872. The special circum- stances of the Province had, from the beginning, separatcul its institutions of learning into two distinct classes, Protes- tant and Roman Catholic. As a matter of course, the Metliodists at once ranged thems<»lves with the supporters of the Protestant schools. With the limited Protestant population of the countiy, it would have been useless to attempt to maintain a system of Methodist schools and colleges. Tiie Methodist intei'est in education thus centred around the Protestant academies of the hlastern Townships and the Mc(!ill Normal and High Schools. The university centre of the Provini-e for fill tim Protestant bodi«'s was li.Ked in the city of Montreul at a very early date, and the 322 Centennial of Canadian Methodism. h I vm J \- r '' McGill University has most nobly supplied tlie great public demand which it was created to meet. The only exception to th<' unity of this system was the founding of the Stan- stead Wesleyan Academy in 1873. After varying fortunes, this academy, though still Methodist in its administration, is now unified with the provincial system, and is one of tlie chain of secondary academies or colleges which are affiliated with McGill University. Some twenty-five or thirty years since, the honoured and Christian Principal of iSrcGill University, with statesman- like sagacity, conceived the idea of surrounding the Univer- sity with a group of Theological Colleges representing the great Protestant denominations of Quebec. The Presby- terian Theological College was the first of these to be com- pleted. The Congregational soon followed, and in 1872, with the support of llev. Dr. Punshon, then President of the Wesleyan Conference, the Hon. James Ferrier and others, pncured from the Conference the resolution .author- izing the establishment of the Wesleyan Theological College of Montreal, and subscribed some .^50,000 to initiate the enterprise. At the same Conference the Rev. George Douglas, LL.D., was appointed the Theological tutor, and in 1873 classes were opened in the school-rooms of the Dominion Square Methodist Church. In 1874 the Rev. W. I. Shaw, LL.D., was add<'d to tlie stafl', as professor of Greek Testanient and Church History, and to his business capacity and energy as Secretary, no less than to the com- manding talents of the Principal, is due the success and growth of the institution. In 1879, it was incorporated by Act of the Provincial Legislature, and atliliated in Arts with Mc(»ill University. In 1883, it was provided with commodious and elegant buildinjjs within the University Methodist Education in Canada. ;32n square at a cost of some 850,000, contributed l»y the late lamented Senator Ferrier and other wealtliy ISfethodists of Montreal. In 1889, its charter was extended to embrace the power of conferring degrees in divinity, and it is now the second in number of students and extent of work of the four Theological colleges which surround ^IcCJili Universitv. Since the foundation of this institution, over 150 candidates for the ministry of the Methodist Cliurch have been edu- cated in its halls. The staff consists of three professors, and the curriculum extends to the degree of H.D. The number of students enrolled last year was forty-two. The educational institutions of Mount Alli-on University, Ladies' College and Academv owe their existence to the Christian philanthropy of the late ( harles F, Allison, for many years a resident of Sackville, N.IJ. In the beginning of the year 1839, he proposed to the Methodist Church to furnisii, at his own expense, an eligible site and suitable building for an academy. He further otl'ered to contribute £100 a year for ten years for the maintenance of the insti- tution. His ort'er was, of course, cheerfully accepted. The foundation stone of the building was laid on the 9th of July, 1840, and on the morning of the 19th of January, 1843, the building was opened for the reception of students. The late Kev. l>r. Pickard had, in the meantime, been elected principal, and on this occasion, in company with tlie founder and a few friends, and six or s(Hen students who presented themselves for admission, a suitable religious and dedicatory service was held. Tiie Academy thus founded for youiig men grew so ra[)idly, that at the end of the Hrst decade, the annual attendance aveniged 1 10 stu- dents. In 1850, Mr. Allison added to his noble gifts i: 1000 for the foundation of a second pcademy for young ladies. ;■; ;;: 5 I'rJ 4^ S24 Centennial of Canadian MetJiodisnt. At the head of this was placed the Rev. E. Evans, D.D., with Miss M. V.. Adams as hidy jtrincipal. In the year 185S, on the motion of the generous founder, steps were taken for the establishment of a college, and a charter obtained for that purpose from the Legislature of New Brunswick. In the following year, the theological department, as the iirst element of the proposed college work was established, and in 1861 the Rev. C De Wolfe was appoir.ted Charles Allison Professor of Theology. In 1862, the full organization of the College was completed, and the colle^^e was opened in August of that year, under the Presidency of Dr. Pickard, with twelve undergraduates. At the cMse of the college year, 1868-9, Dr. Pickard resigned, and was succeeded by David Allison, LL.D., as President of the College, and Principal of the Academy for young men, while J. R. Inch, LL.D., was appointed the Principal of the Ladies' Academy. Dr. De Wolfe was, in 1870, succeeded in the chair of Systematic Theology by the Rev. Charles Stewart, D.D., the present Dean of the Faculty of Theology, whose zealous, able and extended labours have do.'e much for the general advancement of the college, as well as for his own chosen department. On the appointment of Dr. Allison to the Superintendency of Education in the Province of Nova Scotia, Dr. Inch became President of the University in 1878. In the year 1883, the foundation of tiie ur.ignilicent Centennial Hall was laid, and in the following year it was dedicated to the service of Cod and the work of Methodist University education. It is the finest college building as yet erected by Canadian Methodism. At the same time, the Methodists of the Maritime Province have made noble contributions to the endowment of their university which now, in staff and Methodist Education in Canada. D.D., •under, , and a :ure of ►loj^ical college Wolfe ;y- In ipleted, under duates. i*ickard J.D., as Miiy for ted the |was, in ^gy by of the tended of the )n the icy of )ecanie 183. the s laid, vice of n. It ladian )f the Ito the \& and etjuipments, ranks with the best in ]\raritinie Canada. During the past year the Ladies' Academy has been enlarged by the addition of a beautiful building to be used as a Conservatory of ^lusic. It also contemplates, in con- nection with the celebration of the Hftieth anniversary of the institution, in 1S02, to add a coniiuodious college residence to the present group of l)uildings, as we.l as to increase the present endowment. As a result of eighteen years of college work, Mount Allison University has «'raduated ir)4 students in Arts and Science, and four to the degree of B.D. in I )ivinity. Among these are such men of note as the Hon. Mr. Justice Jiur- bidge, Dr. Weldon, M.P.; Dr Stockton, Mr. Wood, M P.; Dr. Sprague, Dr. Inch, Dr. A. D. Smith, Professors Brecken and Borden. Tiiese well-known naines are representative of thousands who have been trained under the care of the present statt' and their predecessors in otlice. The stall" now includes eight professors. Tiiere were enrolled last year ninety-eight students in Arts, sixteen in Tlieology, 156 in the Ladies' College, and ninety-one in the Academy for Young Men. The great work of higher education in what we, as yet, call the North-western Provinces of our Dominion, is still in its infancy. A systcn of public schools has i»een estab- lished, and secondary schools have been founded in Winni- peg, Brandon, Portage la Prairie, Regina and elsewhere. In all these the Methodist people take a heading interest, and will doubtless shape their entir' future policy in har- mony with them. The ITniversit; of Manitoba, already organized, is based upon the federal principle, and already embraces four colleges. One of these, Wesley College, Winnipeg, was founded by our Church in 1873, but after a 826 Centennial of Canadian MctJiodism. struggling existence as a Higli School, was discontinued on the estal)lishnient of the Winnipeg Collegiate Institute. Inunediately after tlie General Conference of 1886 prepara- tions were made for the re-establishinent of the college as a part of the newly-founded [Jniveisity of Manitoba. In 1888, the Rev. J, W. S})arling, M.A., D.D., was appointed principal, and a staff of professors selected, and work com- rn^ncf'd. The first students, two in number, were sent up to the Provincial university for graduation in 1890, and at the examination of that year four scholarships were won by stu- dents of Wesley College. The attendance last year was thirty- five, including twenty candidates for the Methodist ministry. A professor of Theology has "^en appointed, and the founda- tion laid for a divinity school, as well as of a college in Arts. Four professois in Arts are employed, constituting in com- bination witli an iqual number attached t ) the Manitoba College (Presbyterian), a very efHcient teaching staff. It is only needed that the Covernment of Manitoba should erect a common science hall, open to the students of all four colleges, to give the federated University of Manitoba the full strength needtd for the most vigorous growth. This, and the development of the secondary schools tin'oughout the Province, will enable this land of boundless resources to take a foremost position in tlie very near future. Th(f educational agnncies of our iNIissionary Societies con- stitute a most iujportant part of the contributions of our Church to this work. We borrow from the last report of the Educational Society the following summary statement: — " The following is a list of the institutions : The Anglo- Japanese College at Tokyo; the Chinese Schools at Vic- toria, Vancouver and New Westminster, B.C. ; 27 Indian Schools, viz. — In Ontario, 11 ; west of Ontario, 13 ; Quebec, ' MetJiodist Education in Canada. 327 3 ; and four French Schools. The Woman's Missionary Society is vigorously prosecuting its educational work in connection with tlie Ladies' Schools at Tokyo, Shizuoka, and Kofu, Japan ; the McDougall Orphanage at Morley ; the Crosby irome, at Port Simpson ; the Indian Boarding School, at Chilliwhack ; and the Chinese Rescue IfouK', V^ictoria. Some of the institutions are extensively enlarg- ing their operations — notably the French Methodist Insti- tute in Montreal, for whiuh large and suitable buildings have been completed in the western suburbs of tlie city. Rev. W. Hall, A.M., has been appointed Principal of the institution, which is designed to accommodate 100 students." con- cur rt of lit:— nglo- Vic- idian ebec, THK MKTFIODIST COLLEflK, ST JOHNS, NEWFOUNDLAND. " This institution has had marked success during \\v past year. Provided with a very tine suite of buildings contain- ing most eligible school rooms, etc., and with a good supply of apparatus for the laboratory and of other appointments for educational work, it has an efficient staff of instructors, two of whom are university graduates, and four others highly-certificated teachers. Besides, in the Primary and Model School it has two teachers of the first grade. The average attendance of pupils per (juarter was 220 in the college proper, \nd 112 in the Primary School. Thirty -one persons were i.nder training as pupil-teachers, and eleven r(?ceived certi'icates. The ifome provides board, etc., for 1 on-resident students from the outports, and has had a most successful year under the management of the Rev. Geoige P. Story, Guardian and Chaplain, supplying a need long and urgently felt by the denonnnation. The Methodist schools of the colony, numbering 1.'}.'3, are under the superintendence of the Rev. George S. Milligan, LL.D., according to whose ] ¥ i ! t 1 ? Hi 32S Centennial of Canadian Methodism. J latest report, education is niakinf^ much progress : the total attendance in these was 7,013, an increase of 490 during the year," To obtain a complete view of the relation of the Metho- dist Church to the woik of e i'lcation, our Sabbath-schools must be taken into account. Embracing as they do, nearly 3,000 schools and a (juarter of a million of pupils, they begin at the very foundations of the moral and religious work of which our colU^ges and universities are the cope- stone. This sy.stem which thu.s completed places our Church in the closest contact with the whole range of Educational work and influence in every part of our country, is perhaps the most complete to be found in any part of the Anglo- Saxon world. It atTorUs the Church an unlimited facility for the combination of spiritual and religious truth, and influence with the intellectual growth and life of all our people. The masses and the most highly educated arealike reached by its influence. It is free from all the objections which lie against a church-state system, and yet it largely avoids the narrowness of isolation, and the weakness which in a young country must inevitably result from sectarian division in the work of education. Tt gives us all the breadth and wealth of resources of a national system with all the moral safe-guards and spiritual power of a religious system. The great duty of the present hour is the strength- ening and perfecting of the system already established. Our fathers have laid the foundations, a second generation have raised the walls, which it is ours now to complete as a glorious temple of religion and truth. In the year 1874 was begun the important work of unifying and strengthening our educational forces through a general Educational Society. The General Conference Methodist Education in Canada. n20 which completed the first union established th? Educational Society, embracing the entire educational work of the Church then united, and the present writer was appointed the first Secretary, with the Hon. \V, E. Sanford as Trea- surer. Tlie advance of the whole Methodist people in liberal appreciation of the importance of their educational work has been since that date one of the greatest triumphs of our Church. When in 1886 the General Conference resolved upon the new departure involved in the federation movement, the Rev Hr. Potts was appointed Secretary, and was entirely set apart to that work. At that date the income of the luliioational Society had never reached 812,000. Last year it was already more than 820,000. In the meantime the processes of organization and consolidation already described, wjTt' quietly progressing. The federation movement, with the sharp opposition it has provoked, has completed the awakening of our Church upon this subject, and we enter upon our second century with a noble wealth of n jources already laid upon the altar for this work, and with the in- spiration of the example of the Jacksons, Moore, Gooder- ham, Patrick. Macdonald, Walker (not to npeak of living names, whom we trust to see loi g spared to the Church), to stimulate us for the future. With nineteen professors and 327 students in our university faculties of Arts, eleven professors and 144 students in our faculties of Divinity, and 1,262 students in our various academies, a nobl<' work is now being done, and with the nearly one and a lialf millions of resources which ' "e to-day being placed in our hands for this work, our responsibilities and opportunities for the future far surpass those of the past. 98 ;: .{■ ;-*' ! rfi , 5} ■ 4^ Pi' in STATISTICAL RECORD OF THK PROGRESS OF METHODISM I\ CANADA DURING THE FIRST ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF IIS HISTORY By the Rev. Geok(;e H. Cornish, LL.I). T HE study of the numerical Iiistorv of the tirst one hundred years in Canadian Metljodism must prove to be of great interest to all lovers of Metliodist doc- trine and discipline in this great Dojuinion. In the year 1790, only a few months before the death of John Wesley, whose Centennial Memorial is to be celebrated by Methodists in all parts of the world on March 2nd, 1891, William Lossee, a young preacher, on probation for the ministry, in the New York Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church in the United States, found his way into what was then known as Upper Canada. He visited the settlets, and pre/iched in the neighbourhood of the Bay of Quinte, and along the St. Lawrence. In the summer of 1791 his Conference appointed him to Kingston as the Hrst minister to the first circuit in Canadian Meth- odism. As a lesult of his faithful labours, he reported to the 1 Conference veai of 1792 a membership of 165. s later, whon the First Canada (Conference M nnL> Ccntoinial of Canadian Mctliodisni. was or^Muized, there was reported for the year 1824: Min- isters, ."50 ; nH'inl)ers, whites G,094, Indians 50 ; total, 6,150. Nine years iiioie pass away, and we are brought to the period o£ the First Methodist Union, wlien the numbers reported were: 1S33 — Ministers, 81; members, whites 15,120, [iidians «Jl:5 ; total, 10,0:^9. As the years rolled on, and the population of the country increased, M<'thodisiii continued to grow in numbers and influence. in 1851, the Hudson's Bay Missionary District and the Lower Canada District, both of which had been, up to that year, in connection with the British VVesleyan Con- ference, were, with the hearty concurrence of the Parent Jiody, annexed to the Canadian Wesleyan work. The fol- lowing schedule will show the STATISTICAL RRPOUT FOR 1854, AND THE TWO FOLLOWING DKCADKS. Ykar. MlNISTKRS. Nunilii r. 1864 1864 1874 Increase 1(1 vciirs. Mkmbkks. Indians. ■ Whites. Total. Increase 10 \ ears. ■r::i 114 1,142 35,181 86,323 636 283 l,«ti4 53,898 55,562 ! 69.5 1.59 2,l>01 71,3.56 73,557 ' 12,574 17,995 In 1874 a Union was consummated lietween the Wes- leyan Methodist Churcii in Canada, the Wesleyan Meth- odist Church in Eastern l>ritish America, and the Methodist New Connexion Church in Canada, The numbers reported by these Churches, on entering the Union, were as follows: — Statistica/ Record of Mct/iodism in C \xnada. WWW 1874. CiirRciiRM. a 1 1 1 1 SrSDAV-SOIIOOLS. 1 2 o Si Weslt-yan MethodiHt in Canada Wesle.vati Methodist in K. R A. Methodist New Connexion . . 605 22i j 113' 73,557 , 20,950 j 7.430 1,002 I 9,017 *I54 *• 1.(189 3.% 2.571 71,583 'i) (MH» 1 20.(i35 Total 1,031 1 101,046 1 1,512 13.277 Ktl.l.s * Keturns in Minutes of L'onferet^ce incom|)Iet.'. The three branches of Mothodis.n al.ove-named heinc. now united in one body, under the (on.prehensive name of The Metiiodlst Church of Canada, was subdivided into SIX Annual Conferences. These, at tlie General Conference ot 18.8. reported a net increase for the Quadre.nrun. of l:U ministers, 20,651» members, 221 Sunday-schools 2 474 Sunday-school ofKcers and fearhers, and I9,7r,4 scholars as may be seen from tlip followinir schedule :- . 22* Mo4 Centennial of Canadian Metliodisni. 1878. I'ONFKKKSCKH. Tofi'IllO London Mtifitroal Nova Si'oi ia New MrunswU'k & I'rinoc KdwanI Is'tl Nt'wfdiMid'iind Total Incnase t C % a SlNDAV-htllOULS e 1 1 ■ache ^ ^ ;^ 3(i5 3«,072 508 330 37,880 532 220 22 860 293 10({ 9,012 1'14 95 7.871 147 49 8,020 89 1,U!5 122,«06 1.733 134 20,039 221 4,fi33 ' 30,160 5,735 43,403 2,310 17,627 1,305 9,3S2 1,030 8,028 738 6,342 16,751 120,972 2,474 19,754 From the statistidl i-ecord of Mctliodism, as containod in the INlinutcs of tlie soveral .Annual ConfLTeiices, and roported to tlie (tonenil Confeivncj's, wo turn aside to examine the numerical strensth of iMethodism as it is represented in the pre DOMINION CKN8U8 OF 1881, wliioli was the last taUcri. As will he seen from the follow- ing lii^ures, the record is one for which we may huml)ly and devDutly thank (Jod. What hath (Jod wrought? To liim let all prai.se he given! Who could iiave juedicted tlijvt in the ninetieth year of its age in Canada, Methodism would occupy a position numerically in advance of all the Protestant Churches of the Dominion? We (piote the lai'gest denominations only : — The Muthodint poiailutioii of thr r)oiiuiiion is. I. I'reahyturiivn n m m •• Church of Knglund u » » 74*2,9SI «I70.I, )i) ■)74,8IH •»( StcUisticai Record of Mctliodisui in Ciuiada. *»•}". •)•)•) Whilf the eiitir*^ pojuilatinii of tlio Domitiioti, from 1S71 to ISSl, ijUTCjised .'it tlic rate of '_''» \m^y cent., the Mrtliodist popul.'itiou iiKTciised 3;") per c»Mit. We will now see how the ahovo Methodist popuhition is divided among tl»e several hianehes of the Methodist family: — The Metliodist Church of Canada .jS-J .(XJa MttlKMlist KpiiLopid !(>:{,'J72 liil)N^ Chii«tiiin • >7 .) {() Piiiuitivf Methodist •> (kSO t.i) lii'itiyh Mi-tli.xlist K|)i; the Journal of the United (leneral Conferenct? of I88|{ Diring the live years from 1878 to 188.'J, there was a net increase in th(; six Annual Conferences of T)! ndnisters, G,0.'59 mem- hern, 'J.'JT) Sunday-schools, 1,0.'J(J Sumlay school teachers, and 1 l,34^< Hunih!e Christian (*hurcli in Canada, having; agreeil on a liasis of Cnion, are to ho known hy the dis tinetive name of 'I'nit MKTiioDisr Ciiuiuil. !■ w s'fl- 1 3.36 Ccntcuuial of Catindian Methodism. The numerical stron^th of tho Four Uniting Churches may be seen in the following schedules : — I. MINISTERS, MKMIJKRS AND SINDAV-SCIIOOLS. ClirKCIIEB. MiNIHTKRM. Mk.mbkrh. St'SDAT Sc.'IOOLH Schools. Teuehers. Scholars. Methodist of Canada . Methodist Kplh(V'pal .. Primitive Methoilist . . Bible Christian 1,216 2'.9 89 79 1 •.'8,6*4 25,r.71 8,0fl0 7,308 1,908 432 162 155 10,781 3,182 1,172 1 299 22,434 132,320 23,903 9,005 9,0»9 Total ... i,r>33 1()(),803 2.707 175,052 * NtnvfniiiKllui (I, thou^h ri t a piirt of the Dominion of Canada, is part of the Methodist ( liunh of V.v\ i2, Mo"hc)diHt of Canada . . A2()J ''4,438 \\\l\ 646 *ri2,)HMj $102,933 80,809,817 Methodi.st Kpim'oixkl . . r.r. ;.314,2U4 120 113,110 1,523,514 Priniitivf Methodi.st -.31 .... 60 .... 402, 'JOO Bible Christian 281 .... 66 395,210 Total 8,160 877 .... 10.130,807 Jii accordance with tlu' fecoinniendation of the; Committee on Conference Houndaries, the whole work was divided into Ten Annual (Conferences. In the Eastern Section — three, Statistical Record of MetJiodistu in Canada. 337 namely : The Nova Scotia Conforoncc, the Now Brunswick and Prince Etlwiird Island Conference, tlu^ Newfoundland Conference. In the Western Section — seven, namely : The Toronto ConfenMice, the London Conference, the (iuelph Conference, the Niagara (.Conference, tlu' Hay of Quinte Conference, X\w. Montreal Conference, and the Manitoba and North- West Conferenc(\ Two more Annual Confer- ences have since been orujaiii/ed, Jianiely : The liritish Columbia (Conference, in May, ll^JST, and The Japan (Con- ference, ill June, IKSl), thus ijivini,' a total of I *_* Annual Confei'ences, !)9 districts and l,."i21) circuits and missions. We now j)ass over tlie encouraginij report of the first three years of United Metiiodism, as "Jiiven in the Journals of tile Second General (Conference, in ISSG, and proceed to till' lepoi-ts of the several Annual Conft-rences as tabulated for tlie Third (Jeneral Conference, in 18!)(). V.'c s.hall thus more readily sc-e iiow wonderful has been the increase durin<^ the seven years of Union — from 1883 to 181)0. 1H83. 1800. I ncruaBC. Ministers and Prohationora tor miniatry Munibcra (incliulitivr tluiHu on trial) Sunday-schuola Sunday-school Teachers l,(i,130,807 *ll,f.tf7,4ltl 86 C4,005 4(10 5,977 60,098 90 12,4(10, 084 ' NoTKi.— At til* (loiieral Confen-noo of 1886, n dicrousc of 2Ul ohtirchon was rnportcd : thin wm owinu to the fac*. that after the union of l«s3, ii laru<- Miinber of the '■hurchuH were cloHnl, and Htili>L'(|iientl,\ Hold; heme the total reported in 188<'> wiM :.Ma, hut in the ennnin^ four yearx there was mi increitHc of 149, showinif » IHnMcnt Uaal of S.U92. 338 Centennial of Canadian Methodism. It may be interesting now to notice the increase of MKTHODIHM IN THE CITIES during the same period. T}ie number of meml)ers as here given for 18.S3 includes the membership of all the uniting Churches, as reported to the several Conferences preceding the Union. The total meinbership in each city, multiplied by three, will give th«' prol)able Methodist population. Namb ok citv. Memhurs Members in in 18«3. . 18»(t. IncreftKf ill seven yrs. Ktinmttd Aletlifidist I'opiiiat'ii. Toronto Hamilton . . London Montreal Brant ford .... St. John. N It KintfstcM ... Ottawa . . . . HalifaK, DI.H Otielpn St. THwnian BellevvUo St. CathanrM»M rharl'iit. *sn, P. E. I. Victoria, B.(\ Dtratford 4,358 U,813 5,46.^ 29,439 1,437 •J.078 1.541 8,934 1,807 2,879 1,072 8,6?7 1.6.'3 2,355 832 7,Ot)5 691 1,4V2 791 .5,446 783 1.410 627 4,230 634 1,346 711 4.035 678 1,278 600 3,834 833 1.206 372 3.C16 678 1.107 M9 H.-'ifll 641 LID.") .i:,4 3,586 896 1,143 548 3,429 676 770 94 2.310 478 661 88 1,683 IM 465 336 1,395 298 425 132 1,276 III the missionary mid educational work, in the opera- tions and conditions of the book and publishing house, in Toronto, in the p»'riodi( al literature, and in the income of Statistical Record of Methodisni in Canada. 389 the missionary and other connexional funds, there has also been a wonderful growth, and especially during the past seven years, but the time .illottfd to me foi- the preparation of this paper being so brief, in coiniection with the pressure of other duties, renders it impossible for me to examine the necessary data for the pre|tarati<)n of schedules showing the annual or quadi'ennial increases. I would, therefoi'e, refer all who may desire further information on the items referred to, to Vol. 11. of the " Cyclopsedia of Methodism in Canada," covering the years from 1880 to 181)1, which we hope to publish shortly. In view of what has been achieved in the century of Methodism in Canada, now closing, and the foremost posi- tion occupied by Methodism in this growing Dominion, may we not expect that by the blessing of (iod this great Church, with her multiplied and ever-increasing agencies, will go forward in the work of winning souls to Christ, and so haste on the ndllennial glory of His kingdom '?