" But the case is widely different between England and North America. Here there are bishops who have a lesjal jurisdiction. In America there are none, neither any parish ministers ; so that for some hundred miles togeth- er there is none either to baptize or to administer the Lord's Supper. Here, therefore, my scruples are at au end, and I conceive myself at full liberty, as I violate no or- der and invade no man's right, by appointing and send- ing laborers into the harvest.
"I have accordingly appointed Dr. Coke and Mr. Fran- cis Asbury to be joint superintendents over onr brethren in North America, as also Richard Whatcoat and Thom- as V.i<i\v to at as elders among them, by baptizing and iiiiiiiscmi.' the Lord's Supper. And I have prepared a litur-y. little dil^'ering from that of the Church of England (I think, the best constituted national Church in the world), which I advise all the travellinu' preaeliers to use on the Lord's day *fl all the con-rei^ations, reading the litany only on Wednesdays and Fridavs, and iirayiiig ex- tempore on all other davs. I also advise the elders to ad- mmister the Supper of the Lord on every Lord's day.
"If any oue will point out a more rational and script-
ural way of feeding aud guiding those poor sheep in the wilderness, I will gladly embrace it. At present I cannot see any better method than that I have taken.
"It has indeed been proposed to desire the English bishops to ordain part of our preachers for America ; but to this I object : (1.) I desired the bishop of Loudon to or- dain only one ; but could not prevail. ('2.) If they consent- ed, we know the slowuess of their proceedings; but the matter admits of no delay. (3.) If they would ordain them now, they would likewise expect to govern them; and how grievously would this entangle us ! (4.) As our American brethren are now totally disentans^led both from the state aud from the English hierarchy, we dare not entangle them again, either with the oue or the oth- er. They are uow at full liberty simply to follow the Scriptures aud the Primitive Church. And we judge it best that they should stand fast in that liberty wherewith God has so strangely made them free."
After the reading and consideration of this document, it was, without a single dissenting voice, regularly and formally " agreed to form a Methodist Episcopal Church, in which the liturgy (as presented by the Rev. John Wesley) should be read, and the sacraments be adminis- tered by a superintendent, elders, and deacons, who shall be ordained by a presbytery, using the Episcopal form, as prescribed in the Kev. ]\Ir. Wesley's Prayer-book ;" or, in the language of the Minutes of the Conference, " fol- lowing the counsel of Mr. John Wesley, who recom- mended the Episcopal mode of government, we thought it best to become an Episcopal Church, making the Episcopal office elective, and the elected superintendent, or bishop, amenable to the body of ministers and preach- ers." Asbury refused the high office to which Wesley had appointed him unless it were ratified by the Con- ference, and, in accordance with the act of organizal ion, both he and Coke were formally and unanimously elect- ed superintendents. On the second day of the session, Asbury was ordained deacon, elder on the third, and superintendent on the fourth. Coke being assisted by Whatcoat and Vase}' in the services, and also in the last by Otterbein, a personal friend of Asbury, and a minis- ter in the (ierman Reformed Church. The "Sunday Service" and " Articles" prepared by Wesley were adopt- ed; the Rules and Discipline were revised and adapted to the new order of things; the establishment of a col- lege was resolved upon ; twelve preachers were ordained elders, and one deacon, and the -(vork of the Conference was done.
DifTerent views have been taken of these transactions, though not among Methodists. On the one hand it is held that Wesley did not ordain Coke as bishop, but to an undefined superintendency ; that he foinid fault with Asbury for assuming to be a bishop ; that he did not in- tend the separation of his societies from the Church of England, or an authority by his ordinations to admin- ister the sacraments. The view taken by INIethodist writers may be stated as follows: 1. Wesley's letter, above quoted, shows his understanding of the condition of those in whose behalf he acted. Their one great de- mand was some provision for the sacraments, and this he proposed to answer, not only for the time being, but in perpetuity forever. The Church of England had ceased to exist in the United States, so that he violated no law or regulation of that Church in what he might do for America. He provided for no separation, for there was nothing left to separate from. By the terms of the let- ter, Whatcoat and Vasey, whoin he ordained, were to administer the sacraments, as they proceeded to do im- mediately after their arrival. He intended the afep taken to obviate forever all necessity for any connection of American Methotlism with the English hierarchy. The liturgy which he prepared, with the forms used in the English Church for ordinations to the three distinct offices of the ministry, indicates his intent that the three offices should be perpetuated in the jNIethodist Episcopal Church. To him the name was not important, but the function was. He therefore said "superintendent" and " elder," instead of bishop and presbyter — more modest titles, perhaps, but the same in import; and any newly- elected superintendent was to be presented to the super- intendent " to be ordained." 2. For forty years 3Ir.