The New-Zealander.

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

The New-Zealander.

Be just ami fear not Let all the ends thou auns't at, be thy Country's, Thy God's, and Tiuth's.

WEDNESD IIU AIL Y 20) I*!®.'

Agitation in the Wesley an Body in Englan d. None of our readers who have for the last few months seen the leading English journals, can be unacquainted with the fact that the usually quiet coiuse of the internal affairs of the Wesleyan Church has been much disturbed, and that the agitation has now been manifested so visibly to those without its ecclesiastical borders, as to have attracted the notice of the public generally, and engaged to no inconsiderable extent the attention not only of the religious but also of the merely secular press. As it did not seem a matter into' uhich we were called to enter deeply in tins colony, our first intention was to dismiss it in an occasional paragraph in our summaries of intelligence ; but we are induced to state the case more largely on account of the importance now evidently attached to it at home, and also because even here we have seen papers containing references to the subject, the writers uf Avhich could be vindicated from an imputation of gross and wilful misrepresentation, only on the supposition that they were profoundly ignorant of both the men and the matters respecting which they dogmatized. Our present purpose is to give — \vithin as narrow a compass as is consistent with perspicuity — such a sketch of the movement as may place our readers in possession of the leading facts. It will be necessary to loolc back for a few years in order to understand the moving causes of the recent transactions. In the year 1845, there appeared the first of a series of small tracts, since well known as " Fly Sheets," the avowed object of which was to bring about certain reforms in the Wesleyan Conference, and in the administration of the Connexional affairs by the Committees of Ministers and Laymen annually appointed by that body. Whether those or other leforms were required by the existence of abuses, is a point upon which we need not here enter ; — it might be fully conceded that they ivere, without materially affecting the present question. But (he " Fly Sheets" were not such expositions of real or imaginary errors or faults as men actuated by Christian motives would be likely to put forward. They were sweeping and bitter attacks upon the Conference and many of its acts, and inflammatory calls upon those who were said to be enslaved by it to bieak asunder a yoke in which, it was alleged, they were kept fettered by a system of corruption, favoritism, and reckless extravagance. In addition to such general denunciations, several individuals, including some of the most aged, eminent, and venerated ministers, were made the objects of gross and continued abuse. Men who for many years had been held in honour by the religious public generally, were proclaimed to be " selfish," " ambitious," " tyrannical," and " artful," and were followed into the history of their private lives for the purpose of casting foul imputations on their personal piety and consistency. The accusations were so clearly of a libellous nature that not only did the authors carefully conceal themselves from view, but no printer or publisher ventured to affix his name to the papers. For some time the Conference took no notice of these charges; but in 1847 — finding that a third number had appeared, and that silence was construed into a consciousness of guilt — it passed a resolution as follows :—: — " Certain anonymous papers, bearing no name, eitlier of ihe authors or printers, having been circulated in our connexion during the past year, which contain many serious imputations on the integrity and disinterestedness of several of our senior ministers, and other official members of the Conference, we feel it our duty to express our solemn conviction that the spirit in which such publications originate is entirely at variance with the law of Christ ;

and that the brethren thus wickedly and slanderously attacked deserve our sympathy and I unabated confidence." This Resolution was adopted, with only two dissentients, one of whom was the llev. Samuel Dunn, one of the three lately expelled from the Body. A special aspect was given to the case, however, when it Avas known that the authors of these papers were themselves Members of that Conference which they thus assailed, and therefore, according to the Wesleyan system, not only had ample opportunity of bunging forward in a legitimate manner any accusations they desired to prefer against their brethren, but were actually challenged to do so, by the inquiry into the character of the Ministeis, which is made every year both in the District Meetings and in the Conference The question whether there is " any objection." to him, is proposed with regard to each individual Minister by name, without respect of persons or station. The writers of the " Fly Sheets" heard this question proposed year after year respecting the very men whom, in those publications they were charging with gross offences; and yet they gave the assent of their entire silence to the conclusion that those men were both publicly and privately unimpeachable. It was under such circumstances that a "Declaration" (which has excited much attention in the course of these occurrences) was set on foot by the Rev. George Osborn and others, to afford such Ministers as chose to sign it an opportunity of guarding agaiust the suspicion of being in any way connected with the " Fly bheets." This document received the signatures of about eleven hundred Ministers. We now come to the proceedings of the Conference, which Avas held in Manchester in August last, and by which Messrs. Everett, Dunn, and W. Griffith, jun., — the leaders and centres of the present agitation — Avere expelled from the Wesleyan body. For reasons, the enumeration of Avhich Avould occupy much space, and probably Avould not interest the bulk of our readers, but which Avere deemed abundantly sufficient, these Ministers Avere moie than suspected of being "the men in masks." The first - named especially was on evidence amounting to moral ceitainty, regarded as the principal actor in the daik transactions. When in the tegular course of the business of Conference the " Examination of Character," came on, it Avas determined to examine these individuals on this point, by directly asking each whether he was connected with the " Fly Sheets." As the most plausible declamation has been thundered against this questioning, as "un-English," "inquisitorial," &c , it is to he carefully noted that ' the practice of instituting such personal investigation Avas an ancient usage in the Conference, established by John Wesley himself, distinctly recognized in. the official " Minutes" I of 1777, and re-asserted — (not introduced, as has been alleged) — but re-as&erted by a declatory law in 1835 •. — that these Ministers, like others, had voluntarily entered the Connexion under that law ; and had been accustomed to see it regularly applied in the cases of others : — and that thejefote, however inconsistent it may be with the spirit of British jurisprudence to de< mand of a man in ordinary legal proceedings an answer Avhich may possibly criminate himsslf, there Avas a peculiarity here which renders the case totally different. We shall give the next poition of the narrative in the woidsof the llev. Thomas Jackson, President of the Conference for the current year, Avho, in a statement guaranteed by his i?ame (one of the most universally respected in the Wesleyan Church), says, The Conference has from the beginning- possessed tl c unquestionable right of examining not only candidates lor adini&sion into connection wuh it, but its own members, oh all points dffertmg their Chi istian niid ministerial character, or the peace or prosperity of the body; and it resolved to excici<e this right in the case of these suspected men. Tluough the wjole ot their ministerial life, every one of them bail been annually questioned on the tu'iject of his oithodozy, and bii continued attachment to the VVesleyan economy ; and it was felt to be perfectly fuir, in tins feailui emergency, to question them as to whether or not they were concerned in this grievous tyslem of immorally, by which the whole conuexicn was dishonouied. Peeli.ig thai the law ot Chi lit had been violated by one of the most vile and malignant conspiracies that ever disgraced a religious community ; feeling at the sime time that it was now in a situation to deal with the evil, and that it it neglecUd the opportunity, it would be a partaker o! tie sia ; the Conference hi st called the suspected ringleader of the mischief and, thiough the medium of iU own officers, asked him whether or not he was concerned in the authorship, or io the pu>hcution of the " Fly-Sheets." He replied that, to ihu question he would give no answer. If the charges were preferred agaunt him, he would meet them, and de end himself; but to no such question as that which, was now proposed, would he return any reply, even uu r >on pain of expulsion. Oilier men, whom they suspected of being in the confederacy, and some of whom were known to have been extensively concerned in the mischief of agitation, were questioned in the same manner, and avowed the same determination, Attempts were made to bii'ig them to a different raitid. A convnittce comprehending some of the most aged ministers ot the body, with others who had held offices of gieit responsibility, was appointed to meet with the men who thus placed themselves in an attitude of hostility towards iheir brethren, to hear their reasons, and, if needful, to remonstrate with them ; but to no purpose. He who first made the declaration of refusal to answer, declined even when sent for, to meet either the Conference or the Committee with reference to any argument on the subject. Of the others, two who mat the Committee not only persisted in thJr refusal co answer the question proposed, bnt even to give any pledge of abstinence from future agitation. The Conferenca therefore deemed it to be a moral duty, both to God and his Church, by three successive votes, to sever thebii ju?n from miuis'eiiAl connection with itself.

The President proceeds to ask — " I would ask all sober, candid, and religious men, is this course of action a just subject of blame ? Has the Methodist Conference any reason to be ashamed before either angels or men of having thus acted in this sad emergency V We quote the response of the (Church of England) Record ; — To this appeal, ws unhesitatingly reply, their con duct affords no " just subject of blame." On the contrary, we consider it entitled to the cordial approbation of every truely Christian man, zealous for the honour and success of the cause of Christ. From the first, the anonymous Ihel'ers of their brethren acted a dishonourable part, opposed Hot only to the obvious rules an</ ipirit of the Society, but to the entire spiiit .md precepts cf ths Gospel. Sympathy with such offenders we cannot feel, and h»d an atten ion to rigid technicalities prevented the Con'erence from doing the justice to the Society which the circumstances strongly demanded, their weakness would have been extreme, and the results might have been deplorable. It is also a striking fact that theie was an almost complete unanimity in expelling Messrs. Everett, Dunn, and Griffith. "In ai assembly of brother Ministers, amounting to considerably more than five hundred, in favour of one of the expelled men three hands were held up, two of them being the hands of accomplices ; in favour of another, one hand was held up ; and in favour of the third, no hand at all." Referring to this, the London Morning Herald forcibly remarks, " The unanimity of the proceedings of the Conference destroys all piobability of an act of injustice. To imagine a body of five hundred respectable and religious Englishmen assembled together, and that on an act of injustice and persecution being proposed, there should not be so many as fifty, no, nor even ten, to protest against it, is, to our minds, about one of the largest demands upon our credulity that ever was made." We should perhaps apologize for the length to which this review of the case has extended, but we could not well bring it within a smaller compass ; and, indeed, we have altogether omitted the mention of various matters and persons more or less closely connected with the proceedings. The expelled men were at the latest accounts pursuing an active career of agitation through the Wesleyan Societies in England, and obtaining sympathy from a considerable number, — although amongst the sympathisers we have seen few — if any — of the more lespectable and influential names in the Connexion. The Herald says, "we have looked carefully through the names of the parties attending and taking p ar t at these meetings, and we have been quite unable to find any real, valuable, respectable Wesleyan support. In no case whatever have we seen the name af any Wesleyan, lay O r clerical, of any standing or position in that Body identified with the proceedings," We may here again I quote from the Record ;—; — We see a system of agitation is being carried on by the expelled ministers. The excitement of meetings got up for such purposes aie sure to be attended by a multitude of foolish or ill conditioned men, who, restless and dissatisfied themselves, are disposed to introduce tuimoil and conlusion elsswhere. We would warn all the followers of John Wesley, who are worthy oi their founder, and have a sincere desire to rat ry out the great juinciplcs for whirl', he (abound to have done wnh such men an'l with such agitation, Ir iigitupand encouraged for any than sound objects and Chr siian purposes, and is worthy of the high disapptobation and contempt of eveiy sound hearted und sound judging ChnsMan man.

Bible Society Mfeting. — It will be seen by our advertising columns that the First Anniversary Meeting of the Auckland Anxiliary Bible Society will be held in the Wesleyan Chapel this evening. We understand that our worthy Colonial Treasurer has consented to take the chair on the occasion. The British and Foreign Bible Society, with which this Auxiliaiy is connected, has long occupied a foremost place amongst the noblest institutions which Christian benevolence lias originated and sustained , and as its veiy genius is catholicity — (embracing all who reveience the Bible as given by inspiration of God, and designed for the study and benefit of mankind universally) — we trust that there will be such an attendance of members of the several religious denominations in our town as will mark their appreciation of the magnitude and excellency of the Society's object, and their "willingness to combine their efforts in aid of its operations.