AGITATION IN THE WESLEYAN CHURCH. (From the Daily News.)

New Zealander, Volume 5, Issue 402, 20 February 1850, Page 3

AGITATION IN THE WESLEYAN CHURCH. (From the Daily News.)

The Wesleyan community, btanding midway between the Church of England and the more dicjded bodies of Dissent —composed of classes superior in wealth, in position, and in numbers to most other religious denominations outside the Church— having an organisation, a discipline, and an authority in some respects more united, workable, and ktringent than those of the Church, and nt times exercising on those questions whicn arise in religion and terminate in politics, an involuntary influence that aff cts the fortune of parties in the state—this community must always form a subject of interest even to those who are unconnected with it. The immense services wh eh Wesleyanism has achieved for tnie religion ; the void it filled up in the spiritual wants of this C/iintry; the fpur it pave to the Church ; the missionary and aggressive spirit-with which it attacks irreligion ; the generally inoffen ive manner in which it exercises its gieat calling: the adherence 10 it of so large a propottion of the welldoing bourgeoisie; and the contentment of its clergy with a vei'y moderate competence allowed— rather sjy the decent poverty — and the life of toil assigned them, have all made Webleyanisra one of the most remit kabla features in modem history; as they bestow upon whatever affects its welfare and career, an importanco nhicli the internal ocouirences of no other dissenting coTnzmnity can fairly claim, or, at all events, will receive. For this leason, it is profitable, even in u secular sense, tonofe and place on record even s which are now disturbing the oligarchical republic left by Wesley; for they appear calcuhted, either to give renewed vigour to that commonwealth, or to lead to a future rupture of its dominions ; and in either contingency the country has a deep interest. The Wcieyau community is, however, mt torn by any doctrinal controversy ; still less is it disturbed by any political dispute, Its doctiiuca ar», immutably n\ed ; and politics it abjures as a body. The questions that Oj'jfkdtc i's peace and arouje tlu passions of its mMc excitable membrrs affect the constitution and working of its ecclesiastical trove: nment. They relate to t os 3 great subjects of unity and ot obedience which have llnobed in the bosom of most religious bodies, and occu, yso large, and by no means the most admirable part of the history of religion. It has pleased some speculators, of no very friendly disposition, to discover in many of the principles and practices o( the Wesleyan church, a strong analogy to principles and practice* of the Romish church. This analogy ii, however, a fanciful andanimperlwtview of the matter. The peculiarities of Wesleyaivsm arise rather from, that sp.rit of order and that effort to ascertain personal sanctity which characterise it, than from any affinity lo I the peculiarities of Rome. He this, however, as it may. certain it is that the ecclesiastical government of We-leyanisin is purely hierarchical; and that it aims at a tevere unity of action and of conduct amongst its ministry by requirements of the most stringent obedience to supreme au'bority. Its supreme authority is vested in the Conference of ministers which meets annually for the ordination of preachers ; for the recaption and consideration of the reports of the inferior courts of the community ; for the preservation of doctrine tud morals ; for the regulation of ciicuits and missions; for the yearly appointment of an executive and superintending committee. Though the legal authority of the Conference was vested by Wrsley and ii still formally perpetuated i j one hundred of the elder ministers ; in more modern times the Conference practically consists of 600 members or upwards. Its laws already constitute a code which require almost the learning of canonists to reconcile and* interpret ; and its decisions bave hitherto had acceptation nearly equal to that paid to an umvers.il council throughout the community. Of late years, hownver, theie has been a disposition on the part of a mmoiity to rebel against measures wbich they have not the power to prevent. As the Conference u computed principilly of minuter*, and as nine-tenths of thtsin are united in object and in views, this party has been injisy rather out of than within its walls. Its opposition has been chit fly anonymous, and it is somewhut difficult to say whether, beitig couducteel by ministers, it has obtained much sympathy or supitoit Irotn the laity of the body. It has mauisfrsted itself in many ways; in the pa'romige of opposition newspapers; in the ciiculation of anonymous tracts called the " f'iy Leave* ;" ond in inventing complaints on all subjects, and aga>nst most of* ibe leading men, Its JrnmeJiate object is obviously the organisation of a regular opposition tt» the mtijonty anil to the system wbich now prevails in Conference : that done, to endeavour by the usual machinery an.l arts of opposition to gain supremacy in that body. We are incompetent to decide whether any of its complaints are well founded; whether, as alleged theie prevails an arbitrary and dictatorial spirit in Conference , whether all power in VVeileyan pol<cy be not monopo'ised and exeicised by m clique. It is nor, however, unlikely that the movement does represent a real grievance, wh eh they in rule Ctnnot recognise, and to which its exponents have given expression in an exaggerated aud intemperate form, hut cv n if this be so, the war that u waged against the majority is not by any means free from the vices of mere secular controversies: fur the writings which sustain U have been convicted of gross mis»tatement and of unjust deprecia'ionn of individual tturart-'r; and are ho icunilous as to not bare (am 1 heiein t'aeir Cirmtatioi is illegal) the name of the printer. One of the chief objects of their asiauh haß beentha Rev. Dr. Bunting, whose services to Wesleyanism admit of no rivalry since the death ot its founder. To the disgrace of his assaiLn's, th>s examplnry person bas been accused of deriving secretly a large income, not leas than jCI,OOO a-yeur, from the missionary resources of the community ; whereas it turns out that Dr Bunting's entire income from the society he hm so long adorned is exactly .£l5O a-yeur, with a free house. Yet th s man has been designated the Pope of Wesleyauisin I Would that the cnurch of England were pos eiseil of rulers of Dr. Buntin,j'i stamp !

ELEC TRICK TELKGRAPH ON THE CONTINENT.-" The Prussian Government has arranged and intends throwing open to the public on the first of next month five gisnd lines of electric telegraph, which place the capital of Prussia in direct communication with almoit all its frontiers, and consequently with the conternjinou* states*