brethren in Ireland and on the continent of America is maintained; and we have received epiftles from all the yearly meetings, informing us of their concern for the cause of truth; and, in fome of those from America, of their continued care to be, as opportunities offer, the advocates of the oppreffed black people.-The flow progrefs in this country of the cause of these our fellow men we lament, but do not defpair of its fuccefs; and we defire friends may never fuffer the caufe to cool on their minds, through the delay, which the oppofition of interefted men hath occafioned, in this work of justice and mercy; but rather be animated to confider, that, the longer the oppofition remains, the more neceffity there is, on the fide of righteoufness and benevolence, for fteadi nefs, perfeverance, and continued breathing of spirit to the God and Father of all, who formed of one blood all the families of the earth.

From Philadelphia we learn that friends have alfo had at heart to be inftrumental in promoting a pacification with the frontier and other Indians; in which benevolent purpose they are encouraged by the Indians themfelves; who, having been accustomed, for more than a century, to juft and kind treatment from friends, have been induced to repofe much confidence in them.

At our last yearly meeting, we were engaged to caution our members against fuffering the voice of party to draw any of us from the itedfaftnefs which we may poffefs to Chrift; and now, when war is making its ravages in the adjacent nations, we are again concerned to

*

exhort friends, that on all occafions, they evince themselves to be indeed the followers of the prince of pcace. As we profefs to be retrained from joining in a practice fo defolating to mankind, let us not indulge the fpirit of it in ourfelves, or encourage it in others, by making the events of war a frequent fubject of conversation; but, fo far as we are truly redeemed from thofe warring lufts in ourfelves. to which the apoftle afcribes its origin, let us, as enabled, be frequently engaged in fecret fupplication to the God of the fpirits of all flesh, that it may pleafe him "to break the bow, and cut the fpear in funder; making wars to ceafe unto the end of the earth;" and to enlist the nations under his holy banner, in oppofition to thofe iniquities which are a reproach to the profeffion of chriftianity.

Many have been of late the overturnings and failures in the commercial world; and fome amongst us have not escaped the difgrace. We defire these things may operate as a call to all of us, who may need the caution, to contract rather than to enlarge our plans for the acquifition of wealth. Let us fooner endeavour to fecure a competency, by contracting our wants and limiting our defires; recollecting, that, as Chrift, our great example, declared his kingdom not to be of this world, fo neither can his faithful followers make it the ftorehoufe of their treasure," Lay not up for yourselves treafures upon earth, where moth and ruft doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: but lay up for

Mat. vi. 19, 20, 21.

yourselves

yourselves treafures in heaven, where neither moth, nor ruft, doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor fteal. For, where your treasure is, there will your heart be alfo."

Signed, in and on behalf of the yearly meeting, by

GEORGE BRAITHWAITE, Clerk to the meeting this year."

An Address to the Members of the Methodist Societies throughout England, from the Conference affem bled at Leeds, August 6, 1793.

"Dear Brethren,

WE

E feel it our duty to fend you this addrefs, left the infinuations of any who are enemies to our profperity and unity fhould grieve your minds, and injure the work of God. Our venerable father, who is gone to his great reward, lived and died a member and friend of the church of England. His attachment to it was fo ftrong and unfhaken, that nothing but irrefiftible neceffity induced him to deviate from it in any de. gree. In many inftances God himfelf obliged him to do this: he powerfully called him forth into the ftreets and open fields, and afterwards raised to his affiftance hundreds of men who never paffed through the ufual forms of ordination. To all these evident providences of God Mr. Welley fubmitted, though at first with great reluctance. In confequence, he found himself obliged to erect chapels, which were neither confecrated according to the ufual method of the church of England, nor in the leaft VOL. XXXV.

fubject to the direction of the national epifcopacy. In all these things he deviated from the eftablithment merely on the ground of unavoidable neceffity, or, which is the fame to a truly pious foul, from the clear manifefted provi 'dence and will of God. A dilemma, or difficulty, of a fimilar kind has been experienced by us fince the death of Mr. Welley. A few of our focieties have repeatedly importuned us to grant them the liper from their own preachers. But, berty of receiving the Lord's fupdefirous of adhering most strictly to the plan which Mr. Weiley laid down, we again and again denied their request. The fubject, however, is now come to its crifis. We find that we have no alternative, but to comply with their requi fition, or entirely to lose them!O brethen! hate putting -away,' efpecially thofe who are members of the myftical body of Chrift, and our dearly beloved brethren ; and whofe only error, where they do err, is that of the judgment, and not of the heart. And can we fuffer thefe to forfake their faithful paftors, and poffibly to run into the jaws of fome ravening wolf, when the point in contest must be allowed by all to be unessential to falvation ? But we are fenfible, that our bre thren, on the other fide, may juftly urge," are not our interefts as dear to you as theirs? Why then will you grieve us in fo tender a point? Why will you oppose us in thofe particulars, which we think of very great importance to the profperity of Zion? Why will you force upon us a term of communion to which we never confented, or expect us to remain

G

united

united to those who will be ever grieving us, by preffing the neceffity of compliance with that which we judge to be highly injurious to the cause of God?"

Such is the dilemma, dear brethren, to which we have been reduced. We allow the full force of the arguments, which the brethren who difapprove of the adminiftration of the Lord's fupper urge as above: nor can we on any confideration lay on them a new term of communion, or fuffer a single perJon among them to be grieved by the reafonings of those who with for an innovation in our plan. We therefore weighed this delicate fubject with the greatest seriousness and deliberation, feeling the greateft pity for those of our brethren who thought themselves aggrieved; and came finally to the following refolution:-" that the facrament of the Lord's fupper fhall not be administered by the preachers in any part of our connexion, except where the whole fociety is unanimous for it, and will not be contented without it; and, even in thofe few exempt focieties, it fhall be administered as far as practicable, in the evening only, and according to the form of the church of England. For we could not bear that the facrament, which was inftituted by our Lord as a bond of peace and union, fhould become a bone of contention, and are determined never to fanétion the adminiftation of that holy ordinance for the purpose of ftrife and divifion. You may hence clearly fee, dear brethren, that it is the people, in the inftances referred to, who have forced us into this farther deviation from our urrion to the church of England.

Still we wish to be united to it as a body at large. The few focieties which answer the description mentioned in the above resolution need but have a fmall influence on the whole connexion. We cannot, however, we will not, part with any of our flock who love God and man, on account of uneffential points. For we love you all, and are the fervants of you all, for Jefus' fake. But we intreat our focieties at large (the few exempt cafes excepted) to continue, as ufual, in connexion with the church of England; and we fhall, with great cheerfulness and contentment, labour among them according to that fimple original plan of methodism established and left to us by our venerable friend. We must observe to you, in conclufion, that we feel the most unfeigned loyalty to the king, and a fincere attachment to the conflitution. We reverence the government; are confcious of the many bleflings we enjoy under our gracious fovereign, and are thankful to God for them; and do earnestly and fincerely recommend the fame principles and spirit to you.

We remain, dear brethren, Your moft affectionate fervants, And faithful paftors, (Signed in behalf of the conference,)

JOHN PAWSON, Prefident.
THOMAS COKE, Secretary.

for the Purpose of obtaining a Par liamentary Reform.

To the Honourable the Commons of Great Britain in Parliament affembled.

Sheweth,

THA

HAT by the form and fpirit of the British conftitution, the king is vefted with the fole executive power.

That the house of lords confifts of lords fpiritual and temporal, deriving their titles and confequence either from the crown, or froin hereditary privileges.

That these two powers, if they acted without controul, would form either a defpotic monarchy, or a dangerous oligarchy.

That the wisdom of our ancestors hath contrived, that these authorities may be rendered not only harmless, but beneficial, and be exercised for the fecurity and happiness of the people.

That this fecurity and happiness are to be looked for in the introduction of a third eftate, diftin&t from, and a check upon the other two branches of the legislature; created by, reprefenting, and refponfible to the people themfelves.

That fo much depending upon the prefervation of this third eftate, in fuch its conftitutional purity and ftrength, your petitioners are reafonably jealous of whatever may appear to vitiate the one, or to impair the other.

That at the prefent day the houfe of commons does not, fully and fairly reprefent the people of England, which, confiftently with what your petitioners conceive to be the principles of the conftitution, they confider as a grievance,

your

Your petitioners in affirming that honourable houfe is not an adequate reprefentation of the people of England, do but ftate a fact, which, if the word "Reprefentation" be accepted in its fair and obvious fenfc, they are ready to prove, and which they think detrimental to their interefts, and contrary to the fpirit of the confti

tution.

How far this inadequate reprefentation is prejudicial to their interefts, your petitioners apprehend they may be allowed to decide for themfelves; but how far it is contrary to the fpirit of the conftitution, they refer to the confideration of your honourable house.

If your honourable houfe fhall be pleafed to determine that the people of England ought not to be fully reprefented, your petitioners pray that fuch your determination may be made known, to the end that the people may be apprized of their real fituation; but if your honourable houfe fhall conceive that the people are already fully reprefented, then your petitioners beg leave to call your attention to the following facts:

Your petitioners complain, that the number of reprefentatives affigned to the different counties is grossly disproportioned to their comparative extent, population, and trade.

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Your

Your petitioners complain, that the elective franchife is fo partially and unequally diftributed, and is in fo many inftances committed to bodies of men of fuch very limited numbers, that the majority of your honourable houfe is elected by lefs than fifteen thousand electors, which, even if the male adults in the kingdom be estimated at fo low a number as three millions, is not more than the two hundredth part of the people to be represented.

Your petitioners complain, that the right of voting is regulated by no uniform or rational principle.

Your petitioners complain, that the exercise of the elective franchife is only renewed once in feven

years.

Your petitioners thus diftinctly ftate the subject matter of their complaints, that your honourable houfe may be convinced that they are acting from no fpirit of general difcontent, and that you may with the more ease be enabled to enquire into the facts, and to apply the remedy.

For the evidence in fupport of the first complaint, your petitioners refer to the return book of your honourable houfe.-Is it fitting, that Rutland and Yorkshire thould bear an equal rank in the fcale of county reprefentation; or can it be right, that Cornwall alone fhould, by its extravagant proportion of Borough members, outnumber not only the reprefentatives of Yorkfhire and Rutland together, but of Middlefex added to them? Or, if a distinction be taken between the landed and the trading interefts, muft it not appear monftrous that Cornwall and Wiltshire fhould fend more borough members to parlia ment, than Yorkshire, Lancashire,

Warwickshire, Middlefex, Wor cefterfhire, and Somersetshire united? and that the total reprefentation of all Scotland should but exceed by one member, the number returned for a fingle county in England?

The fecond complaint of your petitioners is founded on the unequal proportions in which the elective franchise is diftributed, and in fupport of it,

They affirm, that feventy of your honourable members are returned by thirty-five places, where the right of voting is vefted in burgage and other tenures of a fimilar defcription, and in which it would be to trifle with the patience of your honourable house, to mention any number of voters whatever, the elections at the places alluded to being notoriously a mere matter of form. And this your petitioners are ready to prove.

They affirm, that in addition to the feventy honourable members fo chofen, ninety more of your honourable members are elected by forty-fix places, in none of which the number of voters exceeds fifty. And this your petitioners are ready to prove.

They affirm, that in addition to the hundred and fixty fo elected, thirty-feven more of your honourable members are elected by nineteen places, in none of which the number of voters exceeds one hundred. And this your petitioners are ready to prove.

They affirm, that in addition to the hundred and ninety-feven honourable members fo chofen, fiftytwo more are returned to serve in parliament, by twenty-fix places, in none of which the number of voters exceeds two hundred. And