On Monday, the 25th June, the members of Conference began to assemble at Islington Chapel. After tea the Rev. B. S. Hollis gave out a few verses of a hymn, and made a few remarks on the unusual importance of the business to be brought before the attention of the brethren during the Conference sittings and the deep and palpable need of the guidance and benediction of God. The Rev. G. Fowler, the recent deputation to the Countess's chapels in Africa, and the Rev. J. Sloman, who has just undertaken the charge of the Connexion chapel at Maidenhead, offered thanksgivings for journeying mercies and implored the blessing of God on all the services of the week. The members of Conference from the country, needing accommodation, were then directed to the several friends who had kindly offered to show them christian hospitality.

On Tuesday morning at seven o'clock a public prayer meeting was held in the large vestry-room of the chapel, presided over by the minister of the chapel. The Revs. J. Jones, of Birmingham, T. R. Potter of Tyldesley, R. Pingree of Maidstone, engaged in prayer, and the Rev. G. Jones of Tunbridge Wells gave a very appropriate address on “A Prayerful Spirit," explaining what it meant, and its necessity for the believer's well-being and usefulness. It was a pleasant scene -a novelty at Islington chapel, and in some respects a novelty to all the brethren-for the meeting was held in one of

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the new apartments of the chapel, where breakfast was provided for the members of Conference, so that the service bore all the appearance of a large family engaged in domestic worship before their first meal. It was a charming morning; and as the sun shed his rays on the lovely flowers which decked the breakfast board, and the whole company stood up and sung those sweet and elevating words of Watts (493 hymn, Con. Hymn Book)

"God of the morning, at whose voice

The cheerful sun makes haste to rise," &c.

a subduing influence fell on all present, so that every countenance seemed to say "with my spirit within me will I seek Thee early.'

Before the meeting closed Mr. Hollis referred to the fact that the Rev. Thomas Wills, M.A., one of the Countess of Huntingdon's chaplains and first ministers, and who took part in the primary ordination of her first ministers, was the instrument of originating the cause of Christ at Islington chapel. It was very fitting therefore that her ladyship's ministers should be welcomed to that building at their annual Conference, and he trusted the delightful way in which the proceedings had now commenced was the omen of the Lord's presence throughout the several meetings of the week. As soon as the general meeting was over about twenty ministers and managers sat down to breakfast.

At ten o'clock the members of Conference began to assemble in the chapel. There were present during the sittings, Rev. B. S. HOLLIS, President, J. BRIDGMAN, D. DAVIES, T. DODD, G. FOWLER, S. T. GIBBS, W. HODSON, J. F. JAMES, J. JONES, G. JONES, J. J. KEMPSTER, E. PARRY, R. PINGREE, T. R. POTTER, B. PRICE, T. E. THORESBY, A. TURNER, L. J. WAKE, J. WOOD, also the Rev. J. SLOMAN, of the Countess's chapel, Maidenhead, as visitor: and Messrs. ANDERSON, BAREFOOT, BLUNDELL, COBB, CONSTANTINE, HAYNES, JONES, POWELL, SMITH, and WILCOCKS.

A few minutes after ten o'clock the President gave out the 245th hymn of the Connexion Hymn Book. (New edit.)

"O that in me the sacred fire Might now begin to glow, Burn up the dross of base desire

And make the mountains flow!

O that it now from heaven might fall,
And all my sins consume,
Come Holy Ghost, for thee we pray,
Spirit of burning, come!

The Rev. James Bridgman offered prayer. The President then introduced the business of the day.

THE PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS.

Dear Brethren, your kindness has honoured me with a position for which I feel very inadequate; nevertheless, as I yield to no one in attachment to the Connexion, and have confidence in your forbearance, I will proceed to address to you a few words, and may the Holy Spirit animate us all, that we may be aroused to do the work of our generation according to the will of God!

If any brother should think that I enter on these engagements with too much tremor or gravity, let him think this again. Whatever we may be in our own eyes or in the eyes of others, we form part of no mean procession. The United Kingdom did reverence our fathers; as well it might, for every where there remain monuments of their zeal and their success. It is no small responsibility, no ignoble distinction to form the rear of such an advance guard, to be surveyed by such "a cloud of witnesses." A century looks down upon us! We have

many saints in our Kalends, coronetted and canonised in heaven, whose "works do follow them."

But it may be said, are we not feeble now ?-"little among the thousands of Judah?" The more are we sensible of responsibility in taking any part in the proceedings of this assembly. Not when presiding over large and prosperous enterprises are wisdom and vigour so much demanded as when conducting-what some may consider a forlorn hope; summoning the dispirited to a fresh assault. To-day, little as some may heed it, we stand in the very pass which decides the future weal or woe of our ConNever

nexion. A crisis is upon us. since this Conference first met has our position called for more serious thoughtfulness and earnest prayer and unswerving firmness.

HISTORY OF THE CONNEXION.

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To appreciate these remarks a brief retrospect is necessary. Eschewing detail let it suffice to say, the Countess of Huntingdon formed one of that zealous band to whom the Lord entrusted the work of reviving evangelical religion in the last century. Whitefield and Wesley were her colleagues. Few when she was raised up, a mother in Israel,"few were the congregations, whether within or without the national church, where the word of God was faithfully preached; the whole valley was full of dry bones. But these servants of the Most High prophesied, prophesied to the dry bones and to the wind, and there was reorganization and life. Thence we date

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an exceeding great army," and nearly the whole of that spiritual religion which has continued to bless the nation and the world until now.

The most conspicuous features in their efforts for the conversion of men were first, a thoroughly gospel doctrine and spirit finding utterance in impressive claims upon the heart, in demonstrations of the need of regeneration by the Holy Ghost arising from the fallen, the depraved, the helpless condition of man, and together with the work of the Spirit the work of Christ was evidently set forth as a complete and exclusive Redeemer. They asserted a superhuman religion, begun, continued, and ended by power from on high.

The other feature was a freedom from hostility to the national church, and the

appropriation of its forms of worship. To use the words of the Preface to the Life and Times of the Countess, "Our Foundress was a friend to the national church; she left its pale from circumstances rather than from principle-a dissenter from its actual management as unfriendly to the furtherance of the gospel more than from either its doctrines, its ritual, or the theory of its hierarchy, and unless there were strong reasons to the contrary always preferred the use of the Liturgy She knew that the great mass of the English population, however ignorant of the doctrinal articles were strongly predisposed towards the Prayers, and she therefore availed herself of this avenue to the public mind, and thus promulgated the all-important truths of the gospel without doing violence to church prejudices."

From these facts we date our origin, explain our distinctiveness, and ascertain our mission. The ism of the Countess of Huntingdon's Connexion is Evangelism; its mission, "by all means to save,' and that with special reference to the multitudes left neglected, or misdirected by the national church-to do her work where it is left undone, to supplement it where it is feeble, and when composed of wood, hay, stubble, then to supplant it with good and precious stones, always laying for a foundation, Christ and Him crucified.

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And the earlier days of our history were as the days of heaven upon earth,' the shout of a King was throughout our encampment, the glory of the Lord was upon the tabernacle. This is no exaggeration. There were seraphs in the firmament in those days, and whithersoever they flew they bore the everlasting gospel. So it is, scarely a city or town in the kingdom that does not bear some trace of their success.

In harmony with this fact is the early provision of a college for the education of godly young men as ministers, it was to meet a demand for laborers created by the evangelistic efforts of the Countess and her associates. With a nation waking up to enquire "what must we do to be saved?" it was only what the faith and zeal of our founders might have been expected to devise. They contemplated enlargement. They looked for extension. They realized it. The vine spread. The dew of heaven was on its branches. It was filling the whole land. "The hills were covered with the shadow

It is true-we have declined. It has come to be desired, not to enlarge our borders, but to contract them--not to meet demands, but to silence them-not to build chapels, but to sell them—not to attract more congregations to our fellowship, but to alienate many that did once rejoice in our light. We hush the pleading voice. We shut the open door! O why has all this befallen us? Where are the miracles our fathers told us of? Some blight has enveloped us. The vine sheds her fruit. In some way or other the Spirit has been grieved. The glory of the Lord is not over the mercy-seat; it has withdrawn to the threshold; yea, sometimes we fear, it has repaired to the mountains, and we "mourn in our complaint," and sigh "ICHABOD."

Alas! it is too true-we have declined. Our heritage has become like a speckled bird. Let not pride blind our eyes; there is "darkness over the face of the deep." Let us not be silent, save from shame. "We see not our signs." We have declined. The retrograde footmark is every where. Where now are our fervent fraternal district meetings promising to embrace all our counties? Where now the throngs hanging on all the words of this life? Where our growing statistics, our new and enlarged houses of prayer? Where the ridingschools, assembly-rooms, theatres, circuses, pantheons, invaded and recovered from the enemy, and consecrated by the cross? We have surely cause to pray this prayer, "deliver us from blood guiltiness O God."

The last Census is our reprover. It seems as if we had become too obscure to find a truthful expositor of our constitution. In some dozen lines we are thus dismissed. "The doctrines of the Connexion are almost identical with those of the Church of England, and the form of worship does not materially vary, for the Liturgy is generally employed, though extempore prayer is frequent. Although the name Connexion' is still used". we invite attention to these

word-"there is no combined or federal ecclesiastical government prevailing. The congregational polity is practically adopted; and of late years several of the congregations have become in name as well as virtually congregational churches." Here is no recognition of District Associations or of the Annual Conference.

But our reason for referring to this important document is to quote a far more lamentable passage, lamentable because so true. It is to this effect. "The number of chapels belonging to the Con-nexion, or described as English Calvinistic Methodists,' is 109, containing accommodation for about 39,000 persons The morning attendance on the Sunday the Census was taken was, in round numbers, 21,000, the afternoon 4,400, the evening 19,000. Examining the details it appears that some places which belong to the Connexion have been placed to the account of other bodies, but some appear included which do not belong to the Connexion. We may therefore presume that the total does us no injustice. At what conclusions then must we arrive? The morning attendance is the largest. This at first startled us; on reflection we were less surprised, the sabbath school children are then most numerous. What then? It seems that including the attendance of sabbath school children we had but 21,000 persons present to occupy space capable of accommodating 39,000; so that, but for our school children our chapels when best attended would not be half filled.

We have thought it right to state facts hoping to originate enquiry as to the causes of our decline, and to kindle new zeal. With a population so increased, with a commission so unfettered, with such examples, such an introduction, such resources, why are these things so? Would they have been so had the spirit of the Countess survived her departure, had her successors inherited her zeal, or been faithful to their awful trust! Would they have been so had the Countess's ministers, her tutors and her students, and the managers of her chapels, been " baptized for the dead?" Personal humiliation at such a retro- | spect is natural, and just, and grievous. But it is when we think of the consequences to the world from such declension that we are sorrowful and very heavy. It is not that we are weak while others are strong, that they are honorable,

while we are despised; it is at the thought of the opportunities we have lost, the service in the cause of truth and Christ, that we might have rendered. We have been asleep, or bickering, and divided, while heresy and death have raged in the established churches, and, in many cases, a cold, a carnal, a semi-sceptical, a muttering ministry has had sway elsewhere. The churches have pined, the world has been perishing for want of an out-spoken, simple, unctuous gospel teaching-such as was once our distinction and our glory. For these things we are confounded. We have not known "the day of our visitation." Our faith has not been equal to the calls of Providence. "The children of Ephraim, being armed, and carrying bows, turned themselves back in the day of battle."

DISPENSATION OF THE CONNEXION.

It may be said, it has been said—“ our dispensation has passed away, our work is done, better become absorbed in other movements, we struggle fruitlessly." Let those who thus judge reason with us and demonstrate the truth of what they say. If truth, it is serious truth, and it is time we were convinced. Convince us, and we succumb; necessity is laid upon us. But is it truth! Has our dispensation closed? Not so palpable to us is the need of Turkey-sick, feeble, and dying, as she has been pronounced-to the balance of power in Europe, as the necessity for such a denomination as our own to the well-being of christendom. Our dispensation closed? How first ran our commission? "To the Jew first"to the nominal members of our established hierarchical communion. Was this our charge? And with such a diocese as Exeter, such leaven at work as Tractarianism, have we no banner to display, because of the truth, against preachings and practices far more than semi-romish? That noble edifice, Christ Church, Exeter, ought to be our own, and the whole Free Church movement but a branch from us as properly the parent stem. Our reverend brethren, Messrs. Shore and Gladstone, as well as Mitchell and Price, and all like-minded, like-labouring servants of Christ, should be with us wholly, openly, and their peoples too, to be strengthened by us, and to flood us with new influence. The fellowship would be natural; the separation is anomalous. Our dispensation closed?