METHODISTS 



METHYL 



161 



in favour of the re-union of the northern and south- 

 ern Methodist Episcopal Churches, slavery, the 

 main obstacle in the way, having been finally 

 abolished. There are now 10 theological schools, 

 nearly 50 colleges and universities, and a great 

 number of other educational institutions belonging 

 to the body in America, with some 30,000 students. 

 The publications of the church, managed by a 

 General Book Committee, extend to far above 

 200,000,000 pages of books and tracts in a year ; 

 while in its foreign missions more than 3000 Ameri- 

 can missionaries are employed. 



Returning to the English Weslevan Methodiste, 

 we mention the various secessions from the parent 

 body in the order of time. ( 1 ) The Methodist New 

 Connection. This society detached itself from the 

 older one in 1797. Its doctrines and order are the 

 same, the only difference being that it admits one 

 layman to each minister into the Conference, and 

 allows them to share in the transaction of all busi- 

 ness, both secular and spiritual. These laymen 

 are chosen either by the circuits or by 'guardian 

 representatives ' elected for life by the Conference. 

 (2) Primitive Methodists, vulgarly designated 

 Ranters, were first formed into a society in 1810, 

 though the founders had separated from the old 

 society some years before. The immediate cause of 

 this separation was a disagreement as to the pro- 

 priety of camp-meetings for religious purposes ; and 

 also upon the question of women l>emg permitted 

 to preach. A third point of difference is the 

 admission to their conference of two lay delegates 

 for every minister. (3) Independent Methodists, 

 who separated in 1810. They are chiefly distin- 

 guished by their rejection of a paid ministry. (4) 

 Bible Christians, also called lirt/itnitcs, were formed 

 by a local preacher named Bryan, who seceded 

 from the Wesleyans in 1815. The only distinction 

 between them and the original body appears to be 

 that the former receive the eucharistic elements in 

 a sitting posture. (5) United Free Church Method- 

 ists have been formed by the amalgamation of two 

 sects of nearly equal numerical strength. The 

 older of these, called the Wesleyan Association, 

 originated in 1836 in the removal of one or two 

 influential ministers from the original Connection. 

 Points of difference subsequently appeared with 

 regard to the constitution of the Conference. The 

 younger sect, called the Wesleyan Keform Associa- 

 tion, took its rise in 1849 through the expulsion of 

 several ministers from the parent foody on a charge 

 of insubordination, anil, lieing founded on the 

 same principles as the last-mentioned community, 

 arrangements were entered into for their union, 

 which was subsequently effected in 18o7. Church 

 independency and freedom of representation in the 

 annual assembly are two of the most prominent 

 distinctive traits in the organisation of the United 

 Methodist Free Church. 



The WELSH CALVIXISTIC METHODISTS are not a 

 s ~"<ion from the followers of Wesley, but origin- 

 ated partly in the preaching of his friend and fellow- 

 vniigrlirtt. Wliitelield, and partly in that of Howel 

 Harris. Wliitelield was a Calvinist ; Wesley, as 

 we have seen, was on come points decidedly 

 Arminian. A difl'ci<-nce arose between them on 

 the subject of election. Henceforward their paths 

 lay in different directions. Whitefield, however, 

 diil not forma religious sect; and after his death 

 (1770) his followers, being left without any dis- 

 tinct bond or organisation, either followed the 

 leading of the Countess of Huntingdon. (q.v.), or 

 became distributed among other denominations, a 

 large portion, especially in Wales, becoming 

 absorbed in the new society gradually forming 

 itself through the preaching of Howel Harris and 

 his coadjutors. Tnev became a separate foody in 

 1810, and have now about 130,000 communicants. 

 323 



6,065 



4.530 1,102,926 



2,650 405,000 



2,110 314,000 



1,729 165.000 



The total number of members and adherents of 

 Methodist churches is estimated at 25,000,000 ; the 

 following table shows the distribution of ministers 

 and members in 1889-91 : 



Miniatera. Members. 



Wesleyan Methodist* 



Great Britain 1,975 614,790 



Ireland 234 25,960 



Foreign Missions 875 87,778 



French Conference 30 1,641 



South African Conferences 173 36,876 



West Indian Conferences 89 48,082 



Australasian Conferences 605 78,060 



Methodist New Connection 



England 181 33,439 



Ireland 8 1,013 



Missions 7 1,495 



Bible Christians- 

 England 179 26,646 



Australia, Ac. 89 6,759 



Primitive Methodists- 

 England anil Missions 1,038 194,374 



United Methodist Free Churches 



Home Districts 840 74,103 



Foreign Districts 69 11,356 



Wesleyan Reform Union 14 



Independent Methodist* 



United States, Episcopal Churches- 

 Methodist Episcojial Church, North 14,135 2,093,936 



Methodist Episcopal Church, South. .. . 

 African Methodist Episcopal Church . . . 

 African Methodist Epis. Zion Church . . . 

 Coloured Meth. Epis. Church of America. . 



Evangelical Association 1,121 137,607 



United Brethren Church 1,666 195,278 



Union American Meth. Epis. Church 40 3,660 



United States, Non-Episco]l Churches 



Methodist Protestant Church 1,570 129,208 



Other non-Episcopal Churches 2,602 61,314 



Canada, Methodist Church of 1,658 212,770 



Total 88,817 6,926,868 



See, besides the works and the Lives of the Wesleys 

 and of Whitetield, George Smith's Hillary of Methodism 

 (1862) ; Abel Stevens' History of the Religious Movement 

 called Methodism (New York, 1861); Daniel's Sliort 

 History of the Methodists (1882); and works on the 

 polity, constitution, and economy of Methodism by 

 Pierce, Williams, and Rigg. For Methodist missions, 

 see MISSIONS. 



Methodius. See CYRIL. 



llcl liiH'ii Treaty, a commercial treaty nego- 

 tiated in 1703 by Paul Methuen, the English am- 

 foassador in Portugal, with that country, to admit 

 Portuguese wines to England at a duty one-third 

 less than that on French wines, the Portuguese 

 undertaking in return to admit English wool, im- 

 posing on it, however, the old duty of 23 per cent. 

 il valorem. It was annulled in 1835. 



Methyl is an organic radical homologous with 

 Ethyl (q.v.). Its formula is < 'H ,, but, as it cannot 

 exist in the free state, two such groups of atoms 

 unite together to form ethane, CH 3 CH 3 . As in 

 the case of ethyl, methyl is the centre of a whole 

 group of substances known as the methyl-group. 

 Thus, the hydride of methyl, CH 3 H, known as 

 light carburetted hydrogen, marsh-gas, or fire- 

 damp, is well known as the cause of explosions in 

 coal-mines. It is a light, inodorous gas, half as 

 heavy as air ; non-poisonous and very inflammable, 

 forming an explosive mixture with seven volumes of 

 air. Methyl alcohol, CH 3 OH, is obtained as a by- 

 product in the manufacture of beet-root sugar, and 

 also by the dry distillation of wood. It is a colour- 

 less, mobile liquid, resembling ordinary alcohol in 

 many of its properties. Methyl oxide or methyl 

 ether, (CH 3 ) a O, corresponding to ethyl ether or 

 common ether, is a gas at ordinary temperatures, 

 very soluble in water and alcohol, and capable of 

 being condensed to a liquid by pressure and cold. 

 It is largely prepared for use in freezing-machines, 

 owing to the intense cold which results when the 

 liquefied gas is allowed to evaporate. It is pre- 

 pared by the action of sulphuric acid ou wood 

 spirit. 



