1784] REV- WILLIAM SMITH, D. D. 245 



Mr. Asbury was pleased to add — that the difference between us lay- 

 not so much in doctrines and forms of worship as in experience and 

 practice. He complained that the Methodists had always been treated 

 by us with abundance of contempt ; and that for his own part, though 

 he had travelled over all parts of this continent, there were but four 

 clergymen of our Church, from whom he had received any civilities. 

 In expressing these sentiments, however, he did not mean to throw any 

 reflection upon Mr. West and myself, whom, from the accounts he had 

 received concerning us, he regarded as worthy characters. 



Mr. West begged it might be well understood, that in holding this 

 discourse with them, we acted altogether in a private capacity, wholly 

 unauthorized so to do by Hie Church to which we belonged ; and that in 

 his opinion, the only material point to which it concerned us at present 

 to enquire into was simply this — Was the plan upon luhich the Methodists 

 were now proceeding to act, irreiwcably fixed? Dr. Coke answered, that 

 there was no po'son who took more time than Mr. Wesley to deliberate 

 upon his plans, and none 7vho after he had deliberated upo?i them was 

 more prompt and decided in the execution of thcni. 



Upon this the subject was dropped, and in a short time after they 

 took their leave of us. 



A day or two after I took the liberty to wait on Dr. Coke at his lodg- 

 ings. I expressed a wish, that they could be induced to give rise to 

 their orders in a regular manner; and this I observed they might do, 

 and yet still continue to manage their own affairs, and remain as 

 distinct a body from us as they might think proper. If they did not 

 esteem it unlawful to connect the succession, I contended, that it was 

 their duty to connect it, from motives of charity and of policy. By 

 such compliance their departure from their brethren would be less con- 

 siderable, and they would have fewer prejudices to encounter with. 



Dr. Coke did not hesitate to acknowledge, that it would be more con- 

 sistent indeed, and more regular to connect the succession ; and that the 

 time was when the Methodists might have been gained by a little con- 

 descension. But it was now too late to think of these things, when 

 their plans were already adopted and in part even executed ; that he 

 himself had received ordination agreeably to this nezv system, and con- 

 ferred it on others. He set forth in his turn the great contempt and 

 aversion with v.'hich the Methodists had always been treated in England, 

 by the generality of the bishops, as well as by the laity and clergy; that 

 when one of their preachers had an inclination to come over to this 

 country with Lord Cornwallis' army under the character of a chaplain, 

 Mr. Wesley could not prevail on the Bishop of London to ordain him ; 

 that some clergymen of the Church of England, who had ventured to per- 

 form service in the Countess of Huntingdon's chapel had been prose- 

 cuted in the Court of Arches; that Bishop Newton in his last dying charge 

 to his clergy solemnly enjoined them, that they should never cease to 



