261 
M ETHODIS T. 
the requititions of his mind, and had not only familiarized 
himfelf to all the aufterities and privations of an ancho¬ 
rite, but had rendered himfelf capable of the greateft 
exertions and fatigues. He was almoft perpetually tra¬ 
velling; and, as there was latterly fcarce a corner of the 
kingdom to which Methodifm did not extend, fo there 
was fcarcely any part which he did not occafionally vifit. 
His religious fervices were almoft beyond calculation. 
Befides his numerous exhortations in public and private, 
lie pre.ached generally two fermons every day, often lour 
or five. If to this be added that he was a very copious 
writer, it is probable that few men ever lived whofe 
time was more fully occupied. Time, indeed, was the 
pofle'Oion on which he let the highell value ; and by very 
early riling and exaCt punctuality he feemed to enjoy 
more of it than ufually belongs even to a life protraCted 
as his was. • Ilis labours were continued almoft to the 
very laft; and only a week’s ceffation from duty preceded 
his death, o;i the 2d of March, 1791, in the 88th year of 
his.age. 
Nothing fo much favoured the progrefs of Wefleyan 
Methodifm as the fyftem of difeipline eftabliftied by the 
founder. It is in the firft place to he obferved, that, not 
profefling to form any new or diftinCt feCl, he took care 
not to interfere with the regular worlhip either of the 
Eftablifnmc-nt or Difienters; avoiding the ufual hours of 
their lervice, and preaching either early in the morning, 
or in the evening. By this regulation he robbed no other 
sninifters of their hearers, and Secured to himfelf and his 
preachers large audiences, both on the Sundays and week¬ 
days, of thole who had leifure and curiofity to devote 
additional time to that objeCt. By the plan of itinerancy 
in his preachers, he adminiftered conftant food to the love 
of novelty, and prevented the acquifition of an influence 
by individuals among them, in particular places, which 
might prove dangerous to his fupremacy. I11 order to 
knit them in dole union, and maintain a conftant zeal 
in the members, and a vigilant fuperintendence over 
their conduct, he divided each fociety into companies of 
ten or fifteen, called daffies, to each of which a leader 
was appointed, whofe bufinefs was once a-week to fee 
every perfon of his clafs, and enquire into his religious 
ftate. Of tliefe companies, many were fubdivided into 
fmaller portions, called hands, in which the married and 
fingle. men, and the married and fingle women, were 
ranged apart, and they were directed to confefs their 
faults, and lay open the true ftate of their fouls, to each 
other. From thefe bands were formed j'elcci bands, con¬ 
fiding of thofe wl.o were advanced to perfection in 
their religious courfe. He alfo inftituted love-feafts, and 
night-watchings, with other devices to render religion 
the main bufinefs-and concern of life among his follow¬ 
ers, Stewards were likewil'e appointed to receive the 
contributions which the loweft of the members were ex¬ 
pected to pay, and to fuperintend the temporal economy 
of the focieties. For particulars relative to the dalles, 
bands, &c. and the rules to which they are fubjeCted, we 
nraft refer to Nightingale’s Portraiture of Methodifm, 
1807. We fhall, however, copy two or three of the Di¬ 
rections to the Band Societies, as a fpecimen. “ You 
are neither to buy nor fell any thing at all on the Lord’s 
day.—To tafte no fpirituous liquor, no dram of any kind, 
unlefs preferibed by a phyfician.—To be at a word both 
in buying and felling.—To pawn nothing, no, not toJ'ave 
life .—To wear no needlefs ornaments, fucli as rings, 
ear-rings, necklaces, lace, ruffles.—To ufe no needlefs 
Self-indulgence, fuch as taking jfnnff or tobacco, unlefs 
preferibed by a phyfician.—To oblerve, as days of failing 
or abftinence, all Fridays in the year.” 
It was an important part of the organization of this great 
fociety, to form a due connexion among the preachers. 
When thefe became fo numerous as to fpread over a great 
part of the kingdom, Welley found it expedient to lum- 
mon annually a considerable body of them in order to con- 
fult with him and one another concerning the general 
Vql. XV. No. 1040. 
affairs of the fociety. Thefe afleftiblies Were termed Con¬ 
ferences ; and the great number of them at which Welley 
lived to prelide was a principal means of confolidating 
the whole frame of the fociety, and maintaining his para¬ 
mount authority over every part. Indeed we confider 
the eftabliShment of the Conference as a found ftroke of 
policy ; fince, under a very mild and unalarming appel¬ 
lation, it not only concentrates an extenfire power of 
ecclefiaftical government, but enables the methodiftical 
church to accumulate property, and to act, on occafions, 
with a formidable momentum. 
The firft Conference was holden on Monday, the 25th 
of June, 1744, and the three following days; and one 
has been held annually ever fince; Mr. Wefley having 
prefided at forty-feven luch Conferences. The fubjeCts 
of their deliberations were propofed in the form of quef- 
tions, which were amply difculfed ; and the queftions 
with the anfwers agreed upon were written down, and 
afterwards printed, under the title of “ Minutes of Se¬ 
veral Conversations between the Rev. Mr. Welley and 
others.” They are now commonly called “ Minutes of 
Conference.” 
At the early Conferences were fettled what doClrines. 
the Methodifts liiould preach; what plans they ihould 
purfue to fpread their tenets ; and what regulations were 
neceftary to preferve union among thofe perfons who had 
already believed : fo that the Minutes of thofe Confe¬ 
rences may now be referred to, in cafe of any difpute, 
as 1 b many decrees of council. The laft annual Confe¬ 
rence at which Mr. Welley prefided, was held at Briftol, 
in the year 1790. At that time there were in the con¬ 
nexion, 216 circuits, 511 preachers, and 120,233 mem¬ 
bers. When we confider that all thefe preachers and 
people had arifen among the Methodifts in little more 
than fifty years, we (hall be aftonilhed at the fuccefs 
which attended the preaching of Mr. Wefley and his 
brethren. Thus have they continued to increafe ; and 
they Hill continue to make converts- to their faith and 
practice, with equal, if not with greater, rapidity than 
ever. 
It liiould have been noticed, that the Conference is al¬ 
ways to conlift of one hundred preachers, neither more nor 
fewer. The firft members were chofen by Mr. Wefley, 
empowering them to fill up all vacancies in their body, oc¬ 
casioned by death or otherwife, by an election by ballot. 
Since the death of Mr. Wefley, according to Mr. Myles’s 
account, when the preachers aftemble, the firft thing 
they do is to eleCt a prefident and fecretary, which is 
done by ballot. The minutes of the districts ar§ then 
read over: after which the Conference proceeds to in¬ 
quire—1. What preachers are admitted into full con¬ 
nexion ? 2. Who remain on trial ? 3. Who are admitted 
on trial ? 4. Who defilt from travelling ? 5. Who have 
died this year ? 6. Are there any objections to any of 
the preachers ? 7. Flow are the preachers Stationed this 
year ? 8. What numbers are in the focieties ? 9. What 
is the Kingfwood collection ? 10. What boys are re¬ 
ceived this year ? 11. What girls are ailifted ? 12. What 
is contributed for the yearly expenfes ? 13. How was 
it expended ? 14. What is contributed for fuperannuated 
preachers and widows? 15. What demands are there 
upon it ? 16. How many preachers’ wives are to be pro¬ 
vided for? 17. By what Societies? 18. When and 
where may our next Conference begin ? The above, and 
fuch other queftions as circumftances may require, are 
made the fubjeCl of an annual Methodilt Conference. 
Every old law is repealed, and all new ones propofed and 
enaCted, in the form of queltion and anfvver. 
The Conference is holden either in London, Man¬ 
chester, Liverpool, Leeds, or fome ether large city. The 
laft, being the 73d, alfembled during tire time this article 
was preparing for the prefs, namely on the 29th of July, 
1816, and doled on the 13th of Auguft. We lhallcopy, 
from the Minutes of Conference, the numbers declared 
to be in connexion with the (Wefleyan) Methodift So- 
3 X cieties 
