ILLUMINATOR;

DESIGNED

TO EXHIBIT THE TRUE PRINCIPLES OF THE WESLEYAN CONSTITUTION; TO VINDICATE THE CHARACTER OF ITS AUTHORITIES; TO GUARD THE MEMBERS AGAINST THE ATTEMPTS MADE TO SEDUCE THEM FROM THE SOCIETY; AND EXPOSE THE SPIRIT AND OBJECTS OF THE SO CALLED GRAND CENTRAL ASSOCIATION."

No. 2.

66

TO BE PUBLISHED EVERY FORTNIGHT.

LIVERPOOL, JAN. 21, 1835. Price 1§d.

AN EARNEST APPEAL

To the Members of the Wesleyan Methodist Societies in the Town of Liverpool, on the Anarchy introduced by the Members of the so called "Grand Central Association."

MEMBERS OF THE METHODIST SOCIETIES!-We appeal to you not merely as persons deeply interested in the state of religion in your own church, but as candid witnesses of the distrust, confusion, and evil, introduced into these peaceful societies, and of the truth of the following exposé of the spirit and proceedings of the anarchists.

We remind you that these transactions ought to be judged of by the spirit and precepts of the word of God: innumerable pas sages of scripture inculcate a spirit of love, unity, and harmonious effort to promote the holy and grand designs of Christian fellowship, in mutual edification and the extension of religion in the world. One of the last injunctions of our Lord to his disciples was that of brotherly love; and, to give effect to it, he instances it as a new commandment : "A new commandment I give unto you that ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another."-John, xiii., 34, 35. The great head of the church not only represents the spirit and the unity of love as a great religious duty; but, as having suspended upon it, the greatest practical consequences-his acknowledgment by the world and its consequent salvation. "That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee; that they also may be one in us; that the world may believe that thou hast sent me-I in them and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and

hast loved them as thou hast loved me."-John, xvii., 21, 23. Indeed, the witness of the church for Christ is not only oral by their confession of faith, but it is practical as well. No voice is so loud-so tender-and so touching, as love, in support of religion, and the concentrating of this spirit, its holy beauty, its silent testimony, and its energetic labours, would soon give to our divine religion that ascendancy which it ought to have in the world, but which the wretched divisions of the church have hitherto so awfully retarded.

The writings of St. Paul breathe the most tender solicitude respecting the unity of the churches; and by the inspiration of the holy spirit, command the members of the primitive church to avoid all occasions of strife and division. To the Corinthian church he writes:" Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind, and in the same judgment. For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you. Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul, and I of Apollos, and I of Cephas, and I of Christ. Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or, were ye baptised in the name of Paul?"-Chap. i. 10, 11, 12. "For whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal and walk as men?"-Chap. iii. 3. He speaks in similar language to the other churches. To the Ephesians-"I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that you walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, with all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love endeavouring to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all."-Chap. iv. 1-6, and 11-16. To the Philippian church-" If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the spirit, if any bowels and mercies, fulfil ye my joy, that ye be like-minded having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind, let nothing be done through strife and vain-glory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem the other better than themselves. Do all things without murmurings and disputings; that ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation among whom ye shine as lights in the world; holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not ran in vain, neither la

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boured in vain."-Chap. ii., 1, 2, 3-14, 15, 16. To the Collossians-"Put on, therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, long-suffering; forbearing one another, and forgiving one another if any man hath a quarrel against any, even as Christ forgave you so also do ye. And above all these things, put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful." -Chap. iii., 12-15. In various parts of his writings he enjoins the disciples to avoid all such as cause contentions and divisions. To the Romans he says-" Now, I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences, contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. For they that are such serve not the Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.

One thing is very plain, viz.—that the spirit of these passages and the duty involved in them, have been grossly outraged by one of the two parties in Liverpool. The bond of union previously existing has been severed-brotherly affection has been superseded by bickerings, jealousies, and hard speeches, and the peaceful waters which rolled in our sanctuaries have become turbid and agitated. Instead of that cordial affection and confidence which, in a very high degree, marked our fellowship, we now see afloat the elements of discord, drifted by currents of contending passion, and, it is to be feared, that a great length of time must intervene before any thing like settled peace can again reign in these once united societies.

The sin of this disruption lies somewhere, and you—the intelligent and impartial members of the Methodist societies, know in your consciences that the parties who opened the sluices, and let in the waters of discord amongst us, are the party who formed the "association." They are the men who introduced matters of strife, and dared to violate the Christian unity, order, peace, and communion of the Methodist church in this place, in opposition to the express injunction of the Word of God, and the profession they had taken on themselves. We do for ourselves, for the ministers of these two circuits, and in behalf of those officers and friends who have continued faithful to their engagements, avow, that instead of seeking, coveting, or promoting this state of things, we have done all in our power to guard against it; and declare in the presence of the world and of God, that we are not directly or indirectly, the authors of this lamentable state of evil. We boldly and publicly charge the agitators of our societies with the awful crime of intentionally breaking in upon the peace of the church ; sowing seeds of disunion-outraging the spiritual comfort of our

people endangering their salvation-and throwing the shadow of night over our fair and bright prospects-to promote objects, which on their own confession, cannot justify the means employed. We consider an incendiary who sets fire to his neighbour's house deserving of the severest punishment, not merely because he destroys his property, but because he endangers the lives of the family. It is in vain for him to say in excuse, that the laws which elevate the victim of his vengeance to respectability and leave him in poverty are unequal! Nothing, it is felt, can vindicate so great an outrage on the security of civilized life; then-what are we to think of the guilt of the men who, with the torch of discord, set the house of God on fire! Is this a less offence than the one referred to ? Admitting that the church thus disturbed is a real church of God, that its doctrines are pure-its communion scriptural-its state allowing for human infirmities-spiritual and holy, and its ordinances crowned with the Divine presence and blessing; we say, admitting these things to be true, we cannot but believe in our conscience, that to throw it into a state of disorder and anarchy such as we now witness, IS THE GREATEST WICKEDNESS OF WHICH MAN IS CAPABLE. The common vices of human nature shrink into insignificance of the lowest degree, when compared with that callous, calculating, and murderous mental sin, which can coolly rend asunder the ties of Christian brotherhood, separate and divide the societies, and obstruct the progress of the Word of God. It is with deep emotion and grief that our pen records the sentiment we feel, that the blood of souls will deeply stain the skirts of the authors of this state of anarchy and evil. Another important principle to be kept in mind is, that a prosperous stato of religion is the immediate work of God. In such a state, he must live in its ordinances, bless them in their successful administration and, by his own act and grace, bestow all the privileges enjoyed by its disciples. It follows then, that to take measures either ignoranuy or wickedly, to injure such a work, is presumptuously and profanely, to injure that which has not only received his blessing, but also. that which is the fruit of his own operation, by the influence of the holy spirit.

We appeal to you, our christian brethren, whether previously. to the introduction of this state of anarchy, the great Head of the Church had not blessed us with most of the evidences of a state of comparative, if not absolute, prosperity? Mutual confidence existed, the officers of society performed the duties of their trust with united energy, the meetings for business were held in perfect harmony, and the whole machinery of the church moved in concert to accomplish the great designs of our spiritual fellowship.

No note of discord had been heard between the preachers and other officers of the church, and members of the society; and, if expressions are to be taken as the index of thought and feeling, all parties in these societies were equally satisfied and happy.

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Besides this, the ordinances of religion were not left destitute of the scriptural evidences of the divine presence and approbation. The spirit of prayer was given in a very eminent measure to many who engaged in this exercise; numerous seekers of salvation at different times entered into the liberty of the people of God; an almost universal thirst for an increase of grace and holiness appeared to be felt by the society; an ardent and lively faith, as to the salvation of souls, the larger effusions of the holy spirit and the triumphs of the gospel, was manifest in zealous efforts to promote these objects. If this is not the work of God, then religion is a delusion! A church which ministers the gospel in power and not in word only," can present numberless trophies of pardoning love and converting grace; it administers in its ordinances peace and edification to believers, and leads them on to purity and holiness; and it can only do this by the immediate sanction and agency of God. We do not affirm on our own independent authority that this was the state of things, but we appeal to you, who are eye-witnesses, and the persons to whom our description relates, whether, in the main, it is not accurate. If true, it follows that the Methodist connexion is not so corrupt as to cause God to depart from its ordinances, or to withdraw the grace of his good and holy spirit. Whatever others may think and say respecting religion being an accident, an excitement, and the fanaticism of weak, minds, you, our beloved brethren, who enjoy its privileges, know that it is the work of God. Then what shall we think of the men who can deliberately break in on this state of holy and prosperous tranquillity? We can easily conceive how infidels or mere men of the world might consistently plant their hostile batteries for the purpose of demolishing the citadel of God, but how men professing to regard religion as his work can dare to adopt means with an express design of throwing his church into confusion and agitation, to the manifest injury of all its interests, and the probable ruin of many souls, is a secret we cannot divine. If they can calmly reflect on the account to be given to him who redeemed the souls of these ruined men with his own blood, and must finally be the judge of all, they are in possession of an obtuseness or hardihood, which we have little ambition to share.

"But all are not Israel who are of Israel." It was well known in the midst of our general tranquillity and peace, from the best of all evidence the evidence of their whole life-that a few, and but