ministry has no inherent rights"-that there are no rights but such as are given by the people; consequently, the office is of human institution-it is altogether elective, and a man pretending to preach the gospel without the suffrages of the people, is an usurper.Then we ask the Association, if this principle be true, on what ground they found their claim to hold what principles they please, and also, to propagate them in a viva voce manner? Do they not assume to themselves the rights of conscience and private judgment? Do they not tell us in loud and long speeches, as well as in Lantern light essays, that these are inherent and not delegated rights? If their conscience and judgment told them it was their duty to preach the gospel, would they not consider themselves free to do so, and that any power which would prevent it was anti-Christian? This is their principle: they claim the power to give the right to preach the gospel-to control, and to take away. This is the liberty they arrogate to themselves! these are the chains they are attempting to forge for the ministers they so DEARLY LOVE! There are more kinds of popery than that which is seated on the seven-hilled city, or that which has been contrived and is exercised by the Methodist Conference. Despotism is not less real because it is the despotism of the multitude; and certainly no principle was ever a greater outrage against the noble safeguards of British law, or the rights of private judgment-to say nothing of the grand charter of Scriptural privilege than the one avowed at the Music Hall, amongst these sons of freedom. We thank them for all such avowals; they are valuable to us: they teach our preachers what is preparing for them, and if we cannot succeed in enabling them to escape these fetters, we may, at least, warn them to submit to the ignominy of their fate with patient resignation. But whilst we do so, we take the liberty to tell them that there are interests at stake more valuable and important than their quiet and peaceable passage to the grave-even if by concession they could smooth that path; they are the rights of conscience-freedom of speech -the integrity of Methodism-fidelity to Christ, who has put them into the ministry—and a firm and inflexible adherence to the principles of the Bible ;-all of which this one bold assumption of the Association most daringly assaults. TRIAL AND CONDEMNATION OF THE "ILLUMINATOR," AT DUDLEY. The third number of our little publication having found its way to Dudley, has shared the fate of Bunyan's Pilgrim, in Vanity fair. As the people there were called reformers, it was supposed they were favourable to liberty of speech, and a free press; and so the Illuminator ventured to say, that, for a man's conscience to quarrel with the Methodist ministry, because it was friendly to the established church, while at the same time he was quite reconciled to the doings of a dram shop, was to "strain at a gnat and swallow a camel." They gave it "audience unto this word," and then lifted up their voice through the length and breadth of the Dudley circuit, exclaiming, "away with such a fellow from the earth, for it is not fit that he should live." Not satisfied with the martyrdom of a whole sheet of paper, they demand satisfaction from us, as aiders, abettors, and accomplices. The prescribed penance for our great sin, is, that we are "requested," by Mr. G. England, to give the enclosed document a place in the next Illuminator," which we accordingly proceed to perform with all suitable sentiments : "At a regular Leaders' meeting, held on Monday evening, February 16, in the vestry of King-street Chapel, Dudley, the Rev. B. Frankland in the Chair, the subject of a slanderous paragraph, contained in the third number of the Illuminator, reflecting on the personal and family character of Alexander Gordon, Esq., was brought before the meeting, when it was resolved : "That this meeting views with painful disgust, the wicked attempt made by certain parties, to slander and traduce the personal and family character of our highly esteemed, and sincerely venerated friend and brother, Mr. Alexander Gordon, as the same is contained in a paragraph* of a pamphlet, called the Illuminator; published at * See Illuminator, p. 39. : Liverpool, on the 4th instant, and circulated by the Methodist travelling preachers. "That Mr. Gordon has, for nearly forty years, sustained the office of local preacher, and for a long period, and up to the present time, that of class leader,-is a trustee to a number of our chapels, and district treasurer to the children's fund :-has for a long series of years, been a most liberal supporter of Methodism in all its institutions, as well as the cause of religion generally has always manifested the utmost kindness and respect for the Wesleyan ministers, his house having been uniformly open, and his table spread for them, as numbers, and many of them of the highest order, must testify; and that for nearly forty years that he has lived in this town, he has maintained the most unspotted and unimpeachable character, and experienced the warmest affection and respect from all who have known him. That, in conducting his business as a wholesale and retail wine and spirit merchant, Mr. Gordon has uniformly observed the greatest degree of prudence; no species of ill language or drunkenness having been permitted, nor any allowed to sit down to drink in his shop. "That Mr. Gordon's family, chiefly under the care of their lately deceased, deeply lamented, and truly judicious and pious mother, has been brought up in the most exemplary and respectable manner, as its members fully manifest. "That we, therefore, feel ourselves called upon, by every claim of Christian affection and duty, to repudiate, with the utmost indignation, the vile insinuations contained in the paragraph referred to (and which are too gross for repetition), as not only utterly false and groundless, but most atrociously slanderous and malignant; and we cordially and heartily tender to him, and his injured family, our most affectionate sympathies, and the fullest assurance of our unshaken esteem and regard. Signed by 14 officers in the town Society, and 85 in the Circuit." These resolutions about the respectability of this squire's establishment might have been spared, for as our correspondent regards all dram shops as the "abomination which maketh desolate,” he never dreamt for a moment of settling the proportion of iniquity between them. What the Dudley leaders mean, by "vile insinuations which are "too gross for repetition," is best known to themselves. That the sentiments to which utterance is given are those entertained by our venerable founder, respecting such houses in general, we quote his words, and even deem it right to give the entire paragraph, from which the thoughts and some of the expressions are selected.* It has been said, the Methodist Conference by expressing a friendly feeling to the established church, has rendered itself a * "Therefore, we may not sell any thing which tends to impair health. Such is, eminently, all that liquid fire commonly called drams, or spirituous liquors. It is true they may have a place in medicine; they may be of use in some bodily disorders; although there would rarely be occasion for them were it not for the unskilfulness of the practitioner. Therefore, such as prepare and sell them only for this end may keep their conscience clear. But who are they who prepare them only for this end? Do you know ten such distillers in England? Then excuse these. But all who sell them in the common way, to any that will buy, are poisoners general. They murder his majesty's subjects by wholesale, neither does their eye pity nor spare; they drive them to hell like sheep. And what is their gain? Is it not the blood of these men ? Who then would envy their large estates and sumptuous palaces? A curse is in the midst of them; the curse of God cleaves to the stones, the timber, the furniture of them! The curse of God is in their gardens, their walks, their groves; a fire that burns to the nethermost hell! Blood-blood is there: the foundation, the floor, the walls, the roof are stained with blood! And canst thou hope-O thou man of blood!-though thou art "clothed in scarlet and fine linen, and farest sumptuously every day:" canst thou hope to deliver down thy fields of blood to the third generation? Not so: for there is a God in heaven.Therefore, thy name shall soon be rooted out. Like as those whom thou hast destroyed body and soul, "thy memorial shall perish with thee."-Wesley's Works, vol. 6, p. 128, Edition, 1829. political club. What the Dudley leaders' meeting has become by all its sweet expressions of friendliness to an "establishment of another kind, we shall not presume to say. Much has been said against the connexion between church and state, but the “connexion" of a dram shop with Methodism, is a first rate device of the devil, for by this it becomes, not merely a "respectable," but quite an ecclesiastical affair; so that if any "conscience should be disturbed by the terrible words of Mr. Wesley, it may be hushed to rest by remembering the patronage of the leaders' meeting. It is said the Rev. B. Frankland was in the chair: had it been John Wesley, he might have recollected his own sermon, and perhaps refused to "put the motion," which must have ruined his credit with the Association. Whether Mr. Wesley's words, like ours, will be considered "atrociously slanderous and malignant," we know not; but some modest dram-sellers have felt their force, and withdrawn from the society, and how others contrive to endure them, has long been matter of just astonishment. But some people will be Methodists in spite of every thing. The members of the Association in Liverpool, at this moment, are making the country ring with accounts of the crying wrongs they have received from the travelling preachers. Yet, for purposes of faction, they persist in hearing the words of eternal life, from lips which, they say, have long been accustomed to deceive. They literally fight their way to the Lord's table, to receive the Sacrament from hands, which, they say, are defiled with injustice. They will have tickets in token of their christian brotherhood and communion, with these "cruel" and "despotic" men; and to complete this "ineffable hypocrisy," after directing a preacher, by a formal motion, to "leave the chair," they publicly complain of the great injury he has done them, by quietly leaving them to their own courses. Wholesale dealers in hypocrisy and "blood," may be "born to set the Conference right," for any thing we know; but St. James has certainly directed their attention in the first place, to something a little nearer home." Cleanse your hands, ye sinners, and purify your hearts, ye double-minded," and we mean to continue to second and support his motion, though in so doing, we may again incur the “utmost indignation" of the men of Dudley. Correspondence. NOTHING NEW UNDER THE SUN. Sir, Solomon said, "there is nothing new under the sun," and although some people may imagine the wise man was mistaken in that assertion, nevertheless with respect to the present faction in Liverpool, it is literally correct! Let any person who heard or read the addresses delivered at the Music Hall, by the so denominated eloquent men, judge. One of whom, viz.-the writer of the Catechism (and I suppose he does not mean to exclude himself), Liverpool, on the 4th instant, and circulated by the Methodist travelling preachers. "That Mr. Gordon has, for nearly forty years, sustained the office of local preacher, and for a long period, and up to the present time, that of class leader, is a trustee to a number of our chapels, and district treasurer to the children's fund has for a long series of years, been a most liberal supporter of Methodism in all its institutions, as well as the cause of religion generally has always manifested the utmost kindness and respect for the Wesleyan ministers, his house having been uniformly open, and his table spread for them, as numbers, and many of them of the highest order, must testify; and that for nearly forty years that he has lived in this town, he has maintained the most unspotted and unimpeachable character, and experienced the warmest affection and respect from all who have known him. That, in conducting his business as a wholesale and retail wine and spirit merchant, Mr. Gordon has uniformly observed the greatest degree of prudence; no species of ill language or drunkenness having been permitted, nor any allowed to sit down to drink in his shop. "That Mr. Gordon's family, chiefly under the care of their lately deceased, deeply lamented, and truly judicious and pious mother, has been brought up in the most exemplary and respectable manner, as its members fully manifest. "That we, therefore, feel ourselves called upon, by every claim of Christian affection and duty, to repudiate, with the utmost indignation, the vile insinuations contained in the paragraph referred to (and which are too gross for repetition), as not only utterly false and groundless, but most atrociously slanderous and malignant; and we cordially and heartily tender to him, and his injured family, our most affectionate sympathies, and the fullest assurance of our unshaken esteem and regard. Signed by 14 officers in the town Society, and 85 in the Circuit." These resolutions about the respectability of this squire's establishment might have been spared, for as our correspondent regards all dram shops as the "abomination which maketh desolate," he never dreamt for a moment of settling the proportion of iniquity between them. What the Dudley leaders mean, by "vile insinuations which are "too gross for repetition," is best known to themselves. That the sentiments to which utterance is given are those entertained by our venerable founder, respecting such houses in general, we quote his words, and even deem it right to give the entire paragraph, from which the thoughts and some of the expres sions are selected.* It has been said, the Methodist Conference by expressing a friendly feeling to the established church, has rendered itself a "Therefore, we may not sell any thing which tends to impair health. Such is, eminently, all that liquid fire commonly called drams, or spirituous liquors. It is true they may have a place in medicine; they may be of use in some bodily disorders; although there would rarely be occasion for them were it not for the unskilfulness of the practitioner. Therefore, such as prepare and sell them only for this end may keep their conscience clear. But who are they who prepare them only for this end? Do you know ten such distillers in England? Then excuse these. But all who sell them in the common way, to any that will buy, are poisoners general. They murder his majesty's subjects by wholesale, neither does their eye pity nor spare; they drive them to hell like sheep. And what is their gain? Is it not the blood of these men ? Who then would envy their large estates and sumptuous palaces? A curse is in the midst of them; the curse of God cleaves to the stones, the timber, the furniture of them! The curse of God is in their gardens, their walks, their groves; a fire that burns to the nethermost hell! Blood-blood is there: the foundation, the floor, the walls, the roof are stained with blood! And canst thou hope-O thou man of blood!-though thou art "clothed in scarlet and fine linen, and farest sumptuously every day:" canst thou hope to deliver down thy fields of blood to the third generation? Not so: for there is a God in heaven.Therefore, thy name shall soon be rooted out. Like as those whom thou hast destroved body and soul," thy memorial shall perish with thee."-Wesley's Works, vol. 6, p. 128, Edition, 1829. political club. What the Dudley leaders' meeting has become by all its sweet expressions of friendliness to an "establishment" of another kind, we shall not presume to say. Much has been said against the connexion between church and state, but the "connexion" of a dram shop with Methodism, is a first rate device of the devil, for by this it becomes, not merely a "respectable," but quite an ecclesiastical affair; so that if any conscience should be disturbed by the terrible words of Mr. Wesley, it may be hushed to rest by remembering the patronage of the leaders' meeting. It is said the Rev. B. Frankland was in the chair: had it been John Wesley, he might have recollected his own sermon, and perhaps refused to "put the motion," which must have ruined his credit with the Association. 66 Whether Mr. Wesley's words, like ours, will be considered "atrociously slanderous and malignant," we know not; but some modest dram-sellers have felt their force, and withdrawn from the society, and how others contrive to endure them, has long been matter of just astonishment. But some people will be Methodists in spite of every thing. The members of the Association in Liverpool, at this moment, are making the country ring with accounts of the crying wrongs they have received from the travelling preachers. Yet, for purposes of faction, they persist in hearing the words of eternal life, from lips which, they say, have long been accustomed to deceive. They literally fight their way to the Lord's table, to receive the Sacrament from hands, which, they say, are defiled with injustice. They will have tickets in token of their christian brotherhood and communion, with these "cruel" and "despotic" men; and to complete this "ineffable hypocrisy," after directing a preacher, by a formal motion, to "leave the chair," they publicly complain of the great injury he has done them, by quietly leaving them to their own courses. Wholesale dealers in hypocrisy and "blood," may be "born to set the Conference right," for any thing we know; but St. James has certainly directed their attention in the first place, to something a little nearer home." Cleanse your hands, ye sinners, and purify your hearts, ye double-minded," and we mean to continue to second and support his motion, though in so doing, we may again incur the "utmost indignation" of the men of Dudley. Correspondence. NOTHING NEW UNDER THE SUN. Sir, Solomon said, "there is nothing new under the sun," and although some people may imagine the wise man was mistaken in that assertion, nevertheless with respect to the present faction in Liverpool, it is literally correct! Let any person who heard or read the addresses delivered at the Music Hall, by the so denominated eloquent men, judge. One of whom, viz.-the writer of the Catechism (and I suppose he does not mean to exclude himself), |