206 
vagancies, and sometimes occasioned 
petty schisms; but Wesley called this 
the glorious work of sanctification, his 
pentecost, the perfecting of the saints. 
Though the permission of lay preach- 
ers was achief characteristic of Wes- 
ley’s institutions, he thought that no per- 
son should administer the ordinances of 
God without ordination; and as the 
English bishops had refused to ordain 
his preachers, he applied to a Greek, 
Erasmus, the bishop of Arcadia in Crete, 
who visited London in 1763, upon the 
principle, that whoever is episcopally 
ordained, is a minister of the church 
universal, and as such has a right to 
officiate in any part of the globe. 
For this conduct he was publicly at- 
tacked by Mr. Toplady, who in his 
pamphlet asked him, did you, or did 
you notystrongly press this supposed Greek 
bishop to consecrate you a bishop at 
large? In the reply which was pub- 
lished by Wesley’s consent, this query 
was thus answered :—“ No. But suppose 
he had, where would have been the 
blame? Mr. Wesley was connected 
with a number of persons who have 
given every proof which the nature of 
the thing allows, that they have en in- 
ward call to preach the gospel; both he 
and they would be glad if they had an 
outward call too, but no bishop in’ Eng- 
land would give it them; what wonder 
then if he was to endeavour to procure 
it by any other innocent means?” The 
establishment of the independence of 
America afforded Wesley a fair oppor- 
tunity for assuming episcopal power ; 
from the time of the peace, the new civil 
government was universally acknow- 
ledged, but no ecclesiastical authority 
of any kind was either exercised or 
claimed by any person whatsoever.— 
During the war the methodist societies 
there had been deprived of the ordi- 
nances of God, baptism and the Lord’s 
supper, the clergy of the church of Eng- 
‘land having been generally silenced, or 
having fled to England; they therefore 
applied to Wesley after the peace, and 
he, without scruple, then performed the 
ceremony of ordination, because if the 
English bishops had then been willing 
to do what they had before very pro- 
perly refused, some confusion might 
have arisen from the authority of an 
English hierarchy over an American 
clergy. ‘The Americans submitted wil- 
lingly to Wesley’s supremacy, but they 
changed the title of superintendant, by 
THEOLOGY AND ECCLESIASTICAL AFFAIRS, 
which his higher ministers were called, 
into that of bishop. Some displeasure 
arose that Wesley should act thus epis- 
copally ; but the majority of his follow- 
ers regarded his extraordinary call, and” 
were satisfied. He soon proceeded to” 
ordain for Scotland, and then for Eng- 
land. 
To connect together the societies into 
one general union, the assistants or su- 
perintendants, as they are now called, ~ 
were instituted. ‘This office resembles 
that of pastor, elder, or bishop in the 
primitive church, except that the super- 
intendants are itinerants. Their busi- 
Ness is, 
«« 1. To see that the other preachers be- 
have well, and want nothirtz. 2. To visit 
the classes quarterly ineach place, regulating 
the bands, and delivering new tickets. 3. 
To keep watch nights and love feasts. 4. 
To take in, or put out of the bands, or society. 
5. To hold quarterly meetings, and therein di- 
ligently to enquire both into the spiritual 
and temporal state of each society. 6. To 
take care that every society be duly supplied 
with books, and that the money for them be 
constantly returned. 7.'To send from every 
quarterly meeting 2 circumstantial account 
to London of every remarkable conversion, 
and of every one who dies in the triumph of 
faith., 8. To take exact lists of the societies 
every Laster, and bring them to the next 
conference. 9g. To meet the married men, 
the married women, the single men, and the 
single women, in the large societies, once a’ 
quarter. 10. To see that every society haye 
a private room, and a set of the library for 
the helper. 11. To write an account to Mr. 
Wesley of all the defects of the helpers, 
which they themselves cannot cure. 12. To 
travel with Mr, Wesley, if required, once a 
year, through the societies in his circuit.” 
No one was admitted to exhort in any 
of the societies, without a note of re- 
commendation fromthe superintendants. 
The office of the helper or preacher 
was also now distinctly marked out.— 
He is, 
«¢ 1, To expound every morning and even- 
ing. 2. To meet the united society, the 
bands, the select society, and the penitents 
every week. 3. To visit the classes once a 
quarter. 4. Vo hear and decide all differ- 
ences. 5. To receive on trial, for the soci-: 
ety and bands, and to put the disorderly 
back on trial. 6. To see the stewards, the 
leaders, and the school-masters faithfully 
discharge their several offices. 7. To meet 
the leaders of the bands and classes weekly, 
and the stewards, and to overlook their ac- 
counts.” 
Wesley’s authority was at one time 
endangered by the offer of a dubious 
