.

as such, claim any property in any chapel; they claim no share of the seat-rents; nor do they pretend to any right to sell, or otherwise to dispose of these chapels. What is called settling a chapel on the Conference plan, amounts to nothing more than this, that the chapel shall not be the private property of the trustees; and that if any of these trustees should change their sentiments, or, from any other cause whatsoever, should wish to bring in any other party, that they shall not have power so to do. And this cannot be deemed unfair or unjust; for it has been chiefly owing to the labours of the preachers belonging to the Conference that these chapels have been erected. Most, if not all the subscriptions, which the neighbours and other persons have voluntarily furnished towards the expenses of building them, have been given under the idea that the chapel was always to be used according to the original purpose.

At the period of time, however, concerning which I am now writing, disputes ran very high about the settlement of chapels. A new chapel being built at Birstal, near Leeds, the former one having become too small, the trustees made such a deed, that Mr. Wesley strongly objected to it, and for some time his preachers were prohibited by him from preaching in it.-Nay, ground was procured for building another chapel upon, that should be properly settled. Dr. Coke took a very active part in this contention, by which he incurred the indignation of the trustees: but when conscious of being in the path of duty, he cared as little for the frowns of men as he did at other times for their smiles: After some time, the dispute at Birstal was compromised, the preachers exercised in it, and have continued so to do ever since. The ideas, however, and spirit, which had operated upon the trustees at Birstal, came forward again

*

soon after, when a new chapel was built at DawGreen, near Dewsbury. After a painful, and somewhat protracted contest, that chapel was lost to the Connexion, and Mr. John Atlay, then Mr. Wesley's book-steward, and who had been a travelling preacher for a number of years, made a contract with the trustees of the chapel at DawGreen, became their minister, and was there till he died, only a few years ago. For some years before he gave over preaching his congregations were very small, and for some time prior to his decease, the Kilhamites occupied the chapel, and still continue so to do. Mr. Atlay was a snarling, cynical, small-friend of Dr. Coke; but the Doctor was a far more useful man, and has left a much better savour behind him than Mr. Atlay has.

A vast number of Methodist chapels have been erected since the disputes above-mentioned. Some contention has, on sundry occasions, attended the settlement of them, though not of so warm and disagreeable a description as what occurred at Birstal, and at Daw-Green, near Dewsbury. One great cause of the abatement in the disputes respecting the settlement of chapels, has been some concessions being made on both sides, and a better general understanding of the subject.

It was while this subject was in agitation, and before it was properly determined, that Mr. Wesley, and some of his most confidential friends, took those measures which led to the making and executing the well known

DEED-POLL, OR DEED OF DECLARATION. This bears date February 28, 1784, and was enrolled in his Majesty's High Court of Chancery.

As Dr. Coke had a considerable share in this affair, and was not a little blamed by some of the preachers on the account, it will be highly proper

to give some explanation of it. And first, it is but fair and just to give the Doctor's own statement of the case, written only a few months before the death of Mr. Wesley, in "An Address to the Methodist Society in Great Britain and Ireland, on the Settlement of the PreachingHouses; by THOMAS COKE, L.L. D.”

66 MY DEAREST BRETHREN,

"It has long been the grief of my mind that any thing should exist among us which gives uneasiness to many of you, and will, if it be suffered to continue among us, be a ground for perpetual dissatisfaction, to the great hindrance of the work of God; I mean the power given to the Conference by the present mode of settling our preachinghouses.

"I have opened my sorrowful mind at large to several of the most judicious of our preachers, men who have borne the heat and burden of the day, men of renown in our Israel; and they have with one voice advised me to lay before you this present plan of reconciliation. For this purpose I shall, in the first place, relate to you the several steps by which the deed, which was enrolled in Chancery by our dear honoured father in the gospel Mr. Wesley, was set on foot, and afterwards completed. I shall secondly present to you a copy of the general deed itself, with annotations.

"In the Conference held in the year 1782, several complaints were made in respect to the danger in which we were situated, from the want of specifying, in distinct and legal terms, what was meant by the term "The Conference of the people called Methodists." Indeed the preachers seemed universally alarmed, and many expressed their fears. that divisions would take place among us, after the death of Mr. Wesley, on this account;

and the whole body of preachers present seemed to wish, that some methods might be taken to remove this danger, which appeared to be pregnant with evils of the first magnitude.

"In consequence of this, (the subject lying heavy on my heart) I desired Mr. Clulow, of Chancery-Lane, London, to draw up such a case as L judged sufficient for the purpose, and then to present it to that very eminent counsellor Mr. Maddox, for his opinion. This was accordingly done, and Mr. Maddox informed us in his answer, that the deeds of our preaching-houses were in the situation we dreaded; that the law would not recognize the Conference in the state in which it stood at that time, and consequently, that there was no central point which might preserve the Connexion from splitting into a thousand pieces, after the death of Mr. Wesley. To prevent this he observed, that Mr. Wesley should enrol a deed in Chancery, which deed should specify the persons by name who composed the Conference, together with the mode of succession for its perpetuity; and at the same time, such regulations be established by the deed, as Mr. Wesley would wish the Conference should be governed by after his death.

"This opinion of Mr. Maddox I read in the Conference held in the year 1783. The whole Conference seemed grateful to me for procuring the opinion, and expressed their wishes that such a deed might be drawn up, and executed by Mr. Wesley, as should agree with the advice of that great lawyer, as soon as possible.

"Soon after the Conference was ended, Mr. Wesley authorised me to draw up, with the assistance of Mr. Clulow, all the leading parts of a deed, which should answer the above-mentioned purposes. This we did with much care, and as to

myself I can truly say with fear and trembling, receiving Mr. Maddox's advice in respect to every step we took, and laying the whole ultimately at Mr. Wesley's feet for his approbation. There remained nothing now but to insert the names of those who were to constitute the Conference. Mr. Wesley then declared that he would limit the number to one hundred. This was indeed contrary to my very humble opinion, which was, that every preacher in full connexion should be a member of the Conference; and that admission into full connexion should be looked upon as admission into membership with the Conference; and I still believe it will be most for the glory of God, and the peace of our Zion, that the members of the Conference admit the other preachers who are in full connexion, and are present at the Conferences from time to time, to a full vote on all occasions. However, of course, I submitted to the superior judgment and authority of Mr. Wesley. But I do publicly avow, that I was not concerned in the limitation of the number, or the selection of the hundred preachers who were nominated the members of the Conference.

"All things necessary being completed in the Court of Chancery according to law, I thought it my duty to send copies of the deed to all assistants of circuits throughout Great Britain, and afterwards carried copies of it to Ireland."

The provisions of Mr. Wesley's deed of declaration were, that "Whereas divers buildings, commonly called chapels, with a messuage and dwelling-house, or other appurtenances, to each of the same belonging, situate in various parts of Great Britain, have been given and conveyed from time to time by the said John Wesley, to certain persons, and their heirs, in each of the said gifts and conveyances named, which are enrolled in his