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■from which facts it appears the cold air 
from America aud the north of Europe flows 
at that season into the Pacific and Atlantic 
Oceans. 
The remaining descriptions of winds may 
arise from a variety of causes. As the at- 
mosphere has been ascertained to be com- 
posed of air, vapour, and carbonic acid and 
water, it is well known these frequently 
change their aerial form, and combine with 
different substances, and the reverse, con- 
sequently partial voids and accumulations 
must continually occur, which occasion 
winds of diflFeient degrees of violence, con- 
tinuance, and of direction. 
METHOD, in botany, is a mode of ar- 
rangement from certain agreements or cir- 
cumstances of resemblances. There are 
two kinds of methods in arranging vegeta- 
bles, the natural, and the artificial : a natu- 
ral method is that which, in its distribution, 
retains all the natural classes ; that is, such 
into which no plants enter that are not con- 
nected by' numerous relations : an artificial 
method is that, tlte classes of which are not 
natural, because they collect together se- 
veral genera of plants, which are not con- 
nected by numerous relations, although 
they agree in the characteristic marks as- 
signed to that class to which they belong. 
METHODISTS. The term Methodist 
was first given to Themison, the founder of 
a sect of physicians at Rome, which flou- 
rished about three hundred years, and had 
some of the greatest physicians of the age 
among its members. 
In tlie seventeenth century there sprung 
up a new species of polemic doctors, who 
were denominated Methodists, and distin- 
guished themselves by their zeal and dex- 
terity in defending the church of Rome 
against the attacks of the Protestants. Tliis 
sect is now no more; and the appellation 
is made to designate the followers of the 
late Messrs. John and Charles Wesley, and 
the societies founded by the Rev. George 
■Whitefield. They are divided into White- 
fieldian and Wesleyan Methodists. The 
members of the former division embrace 
the doctrines of Calvin : the latter, as far 
as relates to Free-will, are Arminians. For 
an account of the doctrines held by the 
Whitefieldian Methodists, see article Cal- 
vinists. 
The following are the doctrines held by 
the Arminians or Wesleyan Methodists : 
1. Justification by Faith only; by which 
they mean not only our acquittal at the 
last-day, but present forgiveness, pardon 
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of sins, and consequently acceptance with 
God. 
2. They maintain, that the condition of 
justification is faith ; and hold, that not only 
without faith no one can be saved, but also, 
that as soon as any one has true faith, in 
that moment he is justified ; this is called the 
New Birth. It should be understood, that 
this doctrine of justification by taith only, 
includes in it also the notion of the witness 
of the spirit : that is, according to the Me- 
thodists, an instantaneous, sensible impres- 
sion, or “ comfortable assurance,” in the 
mind of the sinner, that his sins are for- 
given, and that he stands justified before 
God ; but on this part of the doctrine there 
appears to be a difference of opinion among 
them. At the conference held in 1806, 
Mr. Joseph Cooke was expelled from the 
connection because he had taught, in two 
sermons, which he published, “ that in what 
ever moment a sinner returns to God, ac- 
cording to the requisitions of the gospel, 
God accepts that sinner, and his wrath no 
longer abides upon him ; or, in other words, 
that the sinner is justified ; and that, whe- 
ther he has any comfortable persuasion of 
it in his own mind, or not.” For this, 
tlmugh he offered to prove that he had 
taught nothing which is not contained in the 
writings of Wesley and Fletcher, Mr. Cooke 
was condemned unheard. “ What,” how- 
ever, “ he was not allowed to prove before 
the conference, he has since proved before 
the world.” See his late publication, in- 
titled “ Methodism condemned by Me- 
thodist Preachers, &c.” 
3. They maintain, that though good works 
cannot go before, yet they must always fol- 
low, justifying taith. 
4. They believe that it is the duty and 
privilege of all true believers to attain to 
a state of perfection, or, as they sometimes 
express it, entire sanctification, before they 
leave this life. This is a favourite doc- 
trine with the Wesleyan Methodists. It is 
thus described : “ they believe that Chris- 
tians may, nay ought to attain to a state of 
moral perfection before death ; and tliat 
this may be attained in a moment, just as 
they received the forgiveness of their sins. 
This work they assign chiefly to the third 
person in the Trinity, who is said to com- 
mence his cleansing operations the mo- 
ment he speaks peace to the soul by the 
absolution of the sinner ; and that he, the 
Holy Ghost, silently, and sometimes almost 
imperceptibly, proceeds to work on the re- 
mains of inbred sin, till, in a moment, the 
