M. E, CHURCH IN CANADA 181
M. E. CHURCH, SOUTH
Those preachers, travelling and local, who continued to adhere to the Methodist Episcopal Church, therefore exerted themselves to collect together the scattered remnants remaining faithful to the old Church. The winter of 1833-3-i was spent in tliis particular work — no easy task, because of the extent of country which had to be traversed ; but the few preachers who adhered to the original Church organization were indefatigable in their ell'orts to rebuild the broken-down walls of their beloved Zion. The Conference assembled at Yonge Street in June, 1834, when it was ascertained that only fourteen jireachers could be calculated upon who were prepared to take work the ensuing year; with a membership of 1 100 — a decrease during eight months of 13,899. Tliese statistics, however, did not represent the true status of the Church, for many more of the people returned to the old fold as soon as thej' found that there was suffi- cient vitality left in it to reconstruct and carry on the work of God in the land. Ten years after tlie disrup- tion of 1833, viz. in 1843, there were seventy effective ministers and preachers supplying circuits and stations in Upper Canada, besides superannuated and supernume- rary preachers, and a goodly staff of local preachers, who were doing efficient service in the Master's vineyard. The membership had increased to 8880, and there had been a corresponding increase of Church property. It will be remembered that at the union in 1833 the Church had lost almost all its connectional property, and this made the subsequent increase the more marked.
In January, 1845, the Canada Christian Advocate, a Aveekly paper, was established to supply the place in Church literature formerly occupied by the Christum Guardian. This medium of communication drev,r the societies and preachers more closely together, and ena- bled all better to understand the true position of the Church, and the worlt accomplished through its agency. It is still the weekly official paper.
The connection has now a book-room and publishing- house, located in the thriving and beautiful city of Hamilton, at the head of Lake Ontario. The class of publications and papers sent out from it very greatly benelits the Church, and assists in advancing the cause of Christ through the country generally.
There are two colleges under the direction and con- trol of the Methodist Episcopal Church in Canada, viz. Albert College, vested with university powers, and Alex- andra College, for the education of young ladies. These educational establishments are located in Eelleville, in a healtliy sitiiatidn, surrounded by pleasing scenery, and in full vivw ul the pure and placid waters of the Bay of (iuiuU', about iifty miles west from Kingston. Under the able management of the president, Ke v. A. Carman, JI.A., these institutions are prospering, and are exerting an influence for good in the country.
The Methodist Episcopal Church in Canada is com- posed of three Annual Conferences, with a delegated (ieneral Conference which meets every fourth year, and has the same legislative powers as the parent body in the United States. The present position of the Church, therefore, is : One General Conference, three Annual Con- ferences—Niagara, Ontario, and Bay of Quinte— ten ex- tensive districts, 145 circuits and stations, 228 travelling- preachers, 225 local preachers, 21,818 members, with Church property amounting to $2,149,776. Great at- tention is given to the Sabbath-school work. As nearly as can be cstiinatrd. from ri'|ioris at liniid, there are no't far from oO.ood chlMrcii in the Siuii1;iv-m1],.(,1s.
The polity of the .MrthoiHst F,|.is.Mpal ( 'liiirch in Can- ada is like that of the :\Iethodist Episcopal Cluirch in the United States: the bishop taking the general oversight of the connection, presiding at the Conferences, and pro- ceeding in almost every respect in a similar manner to that of the bishops of the parent body. The late incum- bent of the bishopric, the Kev. J.Kiciiardson.D.D.jYork- ville, Ontario, died in 1874. See Webster, Hist. M. Kjns. Ch., Canada ; Math. Qti. Rcr. 18(;3, Jan. p. 169 sq. ; 1863, Apr. p. 204 ; 1808, Apr. p. 264 ; 187 1 , Jan. p. 173, (T. W.)
Methodist Episcopal Church, South. —
I. Early JJistor//. — In the year 1766 I'hilip Embury and Captain Thomas Webb, IMethodist local preachers, be- gan to preach in New York, and in the same year Kob- ert Strawbridge, also a local preacher, in Maryland. In 1769 Richard Boardman and Joseph Pilmoor were sent over to America as missionaries by the Rev. John Wes- ley; and they were followed in 1771 by Francis Asbury and Richard Wright. In 1772 Asbury was made gen- eral assistant, that is, superintendent, under Wesley, of the Methodist societies in America. They were all con- nected with the Colonial Church of England, until that Church was disbanded after the Revolution. As they had no ordained ministers, and the English bishops would not ordain any for them, though importuned to do so by Wesley, he undertook to ordain some for them himself, and to organize his societies into a regular Episcopal Church, to take the place, so far as the Meth- odists were concerned, of the old Colonial Church. The Methodist Episcopal Church in America, as it was styled, was organized in 1784. The Rev. John Wesley, M.A., consecrated the Rev. Thomas Coke, LL.D., who was, like himself, a presbyter of the Church of England, to the office of superintendent, or bishop, of the new organiza- tion— other clergymen of the Church of England assist- ing in the consecration. Richard Whatcoat and Thom- as Vasey were at the same time ordained elders, or presbyters, for the American Church. Conferences of the preachers had been held annually from the year 1773 ; but now a special Conference was convened in Bal- timore, and bishop Coke consecrated Francis Asbury as bishop, and several elders and deacons were ordained at the same time. The Conference gave its suffrage to all tliese appointments. Wesley and his associates pro- ceeded upon the true principle that the Episcopacy is derived from the Presbytery of the Church, so far as it differs from the latter — in this respect reverting to the ancient regimen which recognised the bishop as primus inter pa7-es. Certain functions of government are ordi- narily restricted to the Episcopacy to prevent schism and confusion, but with no idea of a jvs divinum — as if bishops were, by God's ordinance, a third order in the ministry, and that there can be no Church without one of them. Thus the American Methodists became truly Episcopal, without any tincture of either Romish, Ori- ental, or Anglican prelacy — that, indeed, being preclud- ed by the repudiation of the dogma of uninterrupted apostolical succession. The Church being thus organ- ized with a Liturgy and Confession of Faith, judiciously abridged by Mr. Wesley from the Prayer-book and Thirty-nine Articles of the Church of England, and a Discipline essentially the same as that of the parent Wesleyan body in England, went forward with aston- ishing success, extending all over the territory of the United States and Canada. As the exigencies required, new bishops were consecrated, and various modifications took place in the discipline of the Church. In 1792 it was ordered that all the travelling preachers in full con- nection should attend the General Conference ; in 1800 this was restricted to all who had travelled four years ; in 1804 this was explained to mean "from the time they were received on trial by an Annual Conference." But as their number multiplied, a delegated General Conference was organized to meet quadrennially— the first meeting being in 1812. The ratio of representation was one delegate to every five travelling preachers in full connection. This ratio has been repeatedlv altered, in view of the constant increase of the Annual Confer- ences. The General Conference was bound by the fol- lowing restrictive rules : " The General Conference shall have full powers to make rules and regulations for our Church, under the following limitations and restric- tions, namely: 1. The General Conference shall not re- voke, alter, or change our articles of religion, nor estab- lish any new standards or rules of doctrine contrary to our present existing and established standards of doc- trine. 2. They shall not allow of more than one repre-