METHODISTS. 
old man with his deeds is wiiolly put off, 
and the soul is purged from every stain, not 
having spot or wrinkle, or any such thing. 
This state of perfection needs never be 
lost.” Mr. Wesley asserted, that there is 
a .state of sanctification from which the be- 
liever can never fall. It is proper to re- 
mark, that the Methodists believe all the 
leading doctrines of other orthodox Chris- 
tians, as far as relates to original or birth- 
sin, the Trinity, atonement, or the vica- 
rious sacrifice of Christ, the eternity of 
hell torments, &c. They differ, however, 
from the Whitefieldian Methodists concern- 
ing predestination, irresistible grace, im- 
puted righteousness, the final perseverance 
of the saints, election, and reprobation. 
The Wesleyan Methodists are incorpo- 
rated into a regular and compact body, 
and have adopted a system of church-go- 
vernment which has a wonderful tendency 
to unite the members to each other. Their 
meetings for worship and for business are 
of various kinds, and are distinguished into 
prayer-meetings, class-meetings, band-tneet- 
ings, watch-nights, love-feasts, yearly-cove- 
nants, quarterly-meetings, district- meetings, 
and annual conferences. Their church offi- 
cers are denominated travelling preachers, 
who are divided into superintendants and 
helpers; local preachers, who follow some 
secular employment, and never travel; class 
leaders, prayer leaders, or exhorters ; band- 
leaders, trustees, and stewards. For the 
more easy management and union of the 
whole connection, the kingdom is divided 
into districts, comprehending generally 
three, four, or more circuits, the whole be- 
ing under the immediate superintendance 
of the conference, which is assembled an- 
nually, and consists of one hundred travel- 
ling preachers, at first nominated in the 
will of the late Rev. John Wesley, their 
numbers being regularly tilled up by ballot. 
Soon after the deathof Mr. John Wesley, 
his people began to be divided with respect 
to discipline. Notwithstanding his pro- 
fessed attachment to the church of England, 
he suffered himself, towards the latter part 
of his life, to be persuaded to ordain some 
of his preachers bishops, and priests ! this 
produced a great sensation throughout the 
societies ; and it was thought that he wished 
a regular ordination to take place at some 
future opportunity. At the first conference 
after his death, the preachers publislied a 
declaration, in which they avowed their de- 
termination to “ take up the plan as Mr. 
Wesley had left it.” This was by no means 
satisfactory to many of the junior preacher? 
and people. Several pamphlets were pub- 
lished, tending to demonstrate the justness 
of the claim, that a plan of perfect equality 
and religious liberty, ought to be extended 
to all the societies. These disputes at length 
produced what was called a plan of padjica- 
tion, in which it was decided — by ballot 1 
that in every place where a three-fold majo- 
rity of class-leaders, stewards, and trustees, 
desired it, the peop'e should have preaching 
in church-hours, and the sacraments of bap- 
tism and the Lord's Supper administered 
to them. 
The spirit of investigation being excited, 
did not terminate here ; for it soon began 
to be discovered that the people ought to 
have a voice in the temporal concerns of 
the societies, vote in the election of church- 
officers, and give their suffrages in spiritual 
concerns. Numerous pamphlets were pub- 
lished on these subjects. The leading man 
on the side of the people was the late Mr. 
Alexander Kilham, who had been many 
years a travelling preacher, and was much 
respected for his zeal and activity in the 
cause of religious liberty. He was expelled 
the connection for publishing a work, in- 
titled “ The Progress of Liberty among the 
People called Methodists.” 
At the Leeds conference, in 1797, there 
were delegates from many societies, in va- 
rious parts, who were instructed to request 
that “ the people might have a voice in 
the formation of their own laws, the choice 
of their own officers, and the distribution 
of their own property.” Tlieir requests 
were refused ; and a motion that delegates 
from the people might be permitted to have 
seats in the yearly conference being ne- 
gatived, all hopes of accommodation be- 
tween the people and the leading preachers 
W'ere cut off. Immediately a new plan 
of church-government was proposed, and 
on it was founded a system of Metho- 
dism, denominated The New Connection. 
This plan was organized and supported by 
Mr. William Thom, an old travelling 
preacher, Mr. Alexander Kilham, and Mr. 
John Grundell, a blind gentleman, of con- 
siderable talents, and unimpeachable in- 
tegrity. 
The preachers and people of the new 
connection, sometimes called Kilhamites, 
are incorporated in all meetings for busi- 
ness- Their plan of church-government is 
laid down in a small pamphlet, intitled 
“ General Rules of the United Societies of 
Methodists in the New Connection.” 
The following is given as an accurate 
statement of the number of preachers and 
