increase with which we have been favoured in more than half the Districts; but, when we announce that the complete returns show a decrease of thirty-six members on the year, you will share with us in most unfeigned sorrow. We may take up the prayer of the Psalmist, "O remember not against us former iniquities : let Thy tender mercies speedily prevent us : for we are brought very low." At a time

when unbroken peace abounds in our borders, when Chapel-extension is carried on with unprecedented vigour, when the aggregate of our Ministry is greater than at any former period of our history, when Educational operations are conducted on so wide a basis, and with unwearied energy-the necessity of reporting a diminution in our Society is one which may well send us to our knees, and compel us to search into our hearts. It is no alleviation of our grief to know that sister churches are contending with similar discouragements; on the contrary, we are all the more solicitous to ascertain the cause of the common adversity. 66 Will the Lord cast off for ever? and will He be favourable no more? Is His mercy clean gone for ever? doth His promise fail for evermore? Hath God forgotten to be gracious? hath He in anger shut up His tender mercies? And I said, This is my infirmity: but I will remember the years of the right hand of the Most High." Is our worship too formal and indevout,-captivating to the senses, rather than quickening to the soul? Is our spirit too cold and worldly, unbecoming those who confess themselves "strangers and pilgrims in the earth?" Are we too careless and unconcerned about the outlying masses, surrounding our sanctuaries, and claiming our pity? Are we too prone to rest in means, and to glory in men, forgetting that all spiritual power is from on high and of God? Are we too seldom in our closets, and too hurried in our prayers? Are we too unmindful of the presence and glory of God the Holy Ghost? Whatever may be our "infirmity," it behoves us to find it out, to confess it, to seek forgiveness for it, and evermore to eschew it. The words addressed to the ancient church are singularly applicable to us: "And thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou Wouldest keep His commandments, or no." Our experience of the mercy and faithful ness of God, in the midst of various trials and conflicts in the past, should rebuke all impatience and faintheartedness, and

prompt us to cleave to Him with unwavering confidence and with humble love. The chastisements of churches, no less than those of believers, are permitted for wise and beneficent purposes. To the angel of the church at Laodicea the Saviour says, "As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent." ." If the languor and depression, which have overtaken some of our Societies, should lead us to abase our spirits before the Lord, to cultivate more intimate communion with Him, and to consecrate ourselves with a more entire devotedness to His service, we shall soon be gladdened by renewed tokens of His favour, and by enlarged communications of His grace. "Wilt Thou be angry with us for ever? wilt Thou draw out Thine anger to all generations? Wilt Thou not revive us again: that Thy people may rejoice in Thee? Show us Thy mercy, O Lord, and grant us Thy salvation." "Make us glad according to the days wherein Thou hast afflicted us, and the years wherein we have seen evil. Let Thy work appear unto hy servants, and Thy glory unto their children. And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us and establish Thou the work of our hands upon us; yea, the work of our hands establish Thou it."

In order that these prayers may be answered, and these hopes realized, "suffer the word of exhortation." We have nothing new to recommend. Novel expedients for the revival and spread of religion are too often the resources of impatience, or even the fruit of unbelief. You will bear with us, however, when we urge you, knowing "whereto ye have attained," to "walk by the same rule," and to "mind the same thing." The means which, under God's blessing, originated Methodism, are the only means which, under the same blessing, will perpetuate Methodism. Let us remind you of a primary and general principle, that not only the prosperity of the church, but even its very existence depends on the personal godliness of its members. No aggregation of unconverted men can ever constitute a true church. Vital union with the Head is essential to organic growth in the members. Our fathers, while they welcomed all to their fellowship who had a sincere desire to flee from the wrath to come, were never satisfied unless the people of their charge were living in the enjoyment of the witness of the Spirit, and were panting after the maturity of Christian love. We must be careful that these glorious truths do not pass away from

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the sphere of experience, only to be found in that of mere orthodoxy. The great want of the day is an intelligent, ardent, uniform, and practical godliness in all the members of the church; godliness which is nourished by devout and habitual fellowship with God, which shall shed a radiance of sanctity and benignity around the domestic circle, which by an unswerving integrity and unaffected simplicity shall command the respect and the confidence of the world, and which, by embodying itself in some specific form of religious activity, shall be felt as a silent, pervasive, and irresistible power for good.

If you would cultivate and exemplify eminent godliness, you must pay a scrupulous and diligent regard to the duties of private devotion. "But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and, when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly." The claims of the world, of the family, or even of the church, must not be allowed to interfere with the claims of the closet. Solitude, when hallowed by filial and fervent communion with God, is promotive of a thoughtful and practical piety. Men of prayer are men of power. Emulate the holy examples sketched by inspired biography. Avail yourselves of your exalted privilege, and abound in secret intercession. By this means you will not only advance the life of God in your own souls, but you will become the instruments of much good to others. Couple with the duty of closet prayer the devout and systematic reading of the word of God. "Search the Scriptures."

:

"Let

the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom." "Ye are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief Corner Stone." "As new-born babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby if so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious." To the young we would affectionately appeal. While your memories are able quickly to seize, and firmly to hold, what you commit to their custody, endeavour to enrich them with ample resources of biblical knowledge. This will prove a safeguard in the hour of temptation, and a solace in the day of trouble; it will give freshness to your experience, and copiousness to your prayers; it will direct your zeal, and sustain your faith, in the various enterprises of charity and piety; and, if you be spared to old age, it will prove a source of rich and unfail

ing consolation amid the infirmities of declining years and the nearing lights of eternity. In these times, when so much dishonour is done to "the oracles of God" by an irreverent criticism and a remorseless scepticism, we are persuaded of you, dear brethren, that you will evince your confidence in them, and attachment to them, by studying more earnestly their holy lessons, and by practising more diligently their Divine precepts. As an inestimable help to steadfastness and advancement in Christian holiness, we earnestly exhort you to prize and use the Class-meeting. This institution is no longer an experiment with us: it has become an integral part of our ecclesiastical economy; and it cannot be neglected without endangering the exist ence of true Methodism. To a host of holy men and women, who, as Leaders, are our fellow-helpers in this department of Christ's service, we look for the maintenance of this means of Christian communion in its primitive simplicity and spirituality; and on our beloved people we rely, to encourage both their ministers and their Leaders by the punctuality and constancy of their attendance, by the growth of their piety, by the consistency of their walk, and by their zealous labours and extending usefulness. Be tenderly concerned on behalf of those who were formerly associated with you in Christian fellowship, but who, from various causes, have forfeited their membership, and, in too many instauces, have lost their religion. In most of our congregations there are to be found some of this class. No state is more pitiable, as none is more perilous, than that of backsliders. "Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him; let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins."

There is another topic, on which we have frequently and earnestly addressed you before, but on which, as it is vitally connected with the prosperity and extension of the church of Christ, it is in our hearts yet again to address you. We refer to the religious claims of the young. There is no subject which can be justly regarded, in view of the aspects and tendencies of the present times, as of greater utility and importance than the godly training of our youth. Nor must parents attempt to delegate their duties. We rejoice in the vigorous working of our Day-schools,-in the growing strength of our Sabbath-schools, and in the activity and efficiency of our Academies and Col

leges: but home lessons possess a charm and a power altogether their own; and, while they are the earliest and most gentle in their influence, are often the most salutary and lasting in their results. Our hearts yearn over Christ's "lambs" with a tenderness not to be expressed. We have dedicated them, by our office and ministry, in the sacrament of Baptism, to the God of their fathers; and we are authorized to expect on their behalf all the purchased blessings of the evangelical covenant. The promise made to Abraham was not exhausted in his case: "And I will establish my covenant between me and thee, and thy seed after thee in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee." And most assuring are the words of the Lord by the mouth of Isaiah :-" For I will pour water on him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour my Spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring and they shall spring up as among the grass, as willows by the water-courses. One shall say, I am the Lord's; and another shall call himself by the name of Jacob; and another shall subscribe with his hand unto the Lord, and surname himself by the name of Israel." We cannot recall the memories of Pentecost without perceiving that our youth have a glorious heritage in these inspired declarations. "The promise," said St. Peter," is unto you, and to your children." Be satisfied with nothing less than their early conversion. Let all your purposes, plans, and efforts have a direct reference to this. As soon as they attain responsibility, they are capable of being saved or lost. "Train up a child in the way he should go; and when he is old, he will not depart from it." The perils of the age menace the well-being of our children on every hand. If we would command their respect and affection, and secure for them and our selves the favour and blessing of God, the discipline of the family must be kindly but firmly maintained. Guard

them, as far as possible, from the temptations of gaiety, of doubtful companionships, of questionable recreations, of pernicious reading, and of vain speculations; and endeavour to surround them with those higher influences which are calculated to give a right development to their character, and a hopeful prospect to their destiny. As heads of households, let not the welfare of your servants be overlooked. In addition to the privilege of joining with you morning and evening in

the exercises of the family altar, and the enjoyment of reasonable opportunities of attending Divine worship on Sabbaths and on week-days, direct conversation with them on religious subjects could not fail, by God's blessing, to produce most beneficial effects; and it would certainly contribute to elevate a class who are essential to the comfort of our homes, but whose spiritual interests are sometimes lamentably neglected. Many of you, as employers, have been placed by the providence of God in responsible relationships to large numbers of your fellow-men. Those relationships involve more than mere questions of labour and wages; they give you an advantage which few can command of promoting the moral and eternal good of your employés and of their families; and, if you use those advantages with prudent zeal and generous solicitude, you will reap a harvest of rich and enduring results. In all your business and mercantile transactions, avoid with unswerving conscientiousness everything dubious and dishonourable, and study to be influential examples of integrity and unselfishness. Watch against that ominous eagerness for affluence which is now alarmingly prevalent, and which is unfriendly alike to your temporal and eternal interests. "They that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows." If resources of wealth should be placed at your disposal by the favouring providence of God, remember that you are but stewards for Him, and endeavour to consecrate a fair proportion of it to the claims of humanity and the advancement of religion. If as citizens you should be called upon to exercise your franchise in the choice of fit and proper men to represent you in Parliament, remember that our national greatness reposes on the basis of our Protestant institutions, and flourishes under the benign influence of the holy Sabbath; and hesitate to support any candidate for your suffrages who would spurn the legacy of our martyred Reformers, or sacrifice the rest of the Lord's-day at the shrine of pleasure or of mammon. wise and weighty words of our venerated Founder are worthy of his noble patriotism, and will commend themselves to your thoughtful consideration at the pre

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sent crisis:" Let others do as they will, what is that to you? Act you as an honest man, a loyal subject, a true Englishman......in one word, a Christian: one that fears nothing but sin, that seeks nothing but heaven, and that desires nothing but God; nothing_but glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good-will toward men."

You will readily believe us, dear brethren, when we assure you that we have been no unconcerned observers of those daring assaults which have been recently made on the foundation-principles of our "most holy faith." Although we have resolved not to be betrayed by the spirit of controversy into forgetfulness of our paramount mission to preach the Gospel, and "by all means to" save some," we deem it right, as the successors of the "man of one book," to avow our unshaken confidence in the Bible as the Divinely-inspired word of God; our trust in that "full, perfect, and sufficient sacrifice, oblation, and satisfaction for the sins of the whole world," which Christ by His death made upon the cross; and our solemn determination to preach constantly "all those leading and vital doctrines of the Gospel which peculiarly distinguished the original Methodist preachers, whose labours were so signally blessed by the Lord, and to preach them in our primitive method, evangelically, experimentally, zealously, and with great plainness and simplicity, giving to them a decided prominence in every sermon, and labouring to apply them, closely, affectionately, energetically, to the consciences of the different classes of our hearers." As for you, we are persuaded that you will "be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; but, speaking the truth in love, will grow up into Him in all things, which is the Head, even Christ."

During the year our ranks have been broken by the removal of thirty-three fathers and brethren to their endless rest. Some of them were young in years, and rich in promise; others were venerable in age, and full of honours. These affecting instances of mortality admonish us to "do with our might whatsoever our hand findeth to do." The vacancies thus created have been filled up by fiftynine probationers, who, after their usual examinations, have been ordained to the work and office of the Christian ministry among us. Let us again adore our as

cended and enthroned Saviour, whose prerogative it is to give "pastors and teachers to His Church, for a succession of "faithful men-able to teach," whom He graciously vouchsafes to us; and let us evermore cherish a grateful remembrance of those quickening and hallowed visitations of Divine influence which signalized the public and solemn separation of the young Ministers to their holy and blessed calling. Most of us felt re-commissioned by our adorable Master, and re-baptized for our glorious service.

We cannot close this address without asking you to join with us in humble and devout thanksgiving to Almighty God, for His providential mercy and goodness vouchsafed to our President during his recent mission of peace and love to our brethren in various parts of North America. Let us still pray that the terrible war which desolates the homes and decimates the churches of the United States may speedily be ended; and that this dreadful and prolonged conflict may issue in the universal emancipation of the slave, and the wider reign of the great Prince of Peace.

"Finally, brethren, pray for us." The great want of the church is power. The very multiplicity of instrumentalities, and the very completeness of organizations, will operate as the greatest hindrances to our progress, unless they be pervaded, directed, and hallowed by the unction of the Holy Ghost. This, then, is the power which we must seek, and which we may have. Why should Pentecost be an event of the past, and not a perpetual fact? Did not Christ promise that the Comforter should abide with His church for ever? "Is the Spirit of the Lord straitened ?" Let us, dear brethren, unite in contrite, importunate, and believing prayer for the enlarged and permanent outpouring of the Holy Ghost. More particularly, let us affectionately exhort you to observe with especial solemnity and earnestness the Quarterly Fasts. Some of the most memorable revivals that have marked the history of Methodism had their origin amid the services of those days of humiliation and intercession. Let us “de the first works," and we shall recover our "first love." "Turn us again, O Lord God of Hosts; cause Thy face to shine, and we shall be saved." "So we Thy people, and sheep of Thy pasture, will give Thee thanks for ever: we will show forth Thy praise to all genera tions,"

"Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you perfect in every good work to do His will, working in you that which is well-pleasing in His sight, through

Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen."

Signed on behalf and by order of the Conference,

WILLIAM L. THORNTON, President.
JOHN FARRAR, Secretary.
Bradford, August, 1864.

Q. WHAT Ministers have died since the last Conference?

A. I. In Great Britain, the twentyfour following:

1. JAMES CATTON, of the Grantham Circuit; who was born at Nottingham, in 1796. Although his early life was unstained by the grosser vices, he lived in the neglect of personal religion until the twenty-fourth year of his age. About this time, under the energetic and soulsaving ministry of the late Rev. John Smith, he was convinced of sin. He earnestly sought the Lord, and was made happy in the enjoyment of God's favour. No sooner had he experienced this great change himself, than he began to evince an earnest desire to be useful to others. His name was placed on the Local Preachers' Plan of the Nottingham Circuit; and, in 1823, he was accepted by the Conference as a candidate for the ministry. In the Circuits in which he laboured he was diligent and successful. His piety was of a cheerful character. His intellect was above the common order, being marked by great originality and power. His attainments were highly respectable; and his ministrations, both in the pulpit and on the platform, effective. As a Pastor he was sympathizing, as a colleague affectionate, and as a Minister faithful. When contending with the disease which at length terminated his life, he persevered in going to his appointments. In the last public service which he conducted, he read in the lesson the words, "I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith;" and gave out the lines, "We know, by faith we know," &c.; after which his strength completely failed. He was obliged to desist, and was led home, where, after a month's suffering, he fell asleep in Jesus, on the 20th of August, 1863, in the sixtyseventh year of his age, having fulfilled a ministry of forty years.

2. JOHN SPENCER JONES, son of the late Rev. Lewis Jones, was born at Llangollen, February 5th, 1819. Of a singularly modest, gentle, diffident, and loving spirit, he was beloved by all who knew him. His sermons, which were prayerfully prepared, manifested consider

able mental power, and were enriched with varied and useful illustrations. His delivery was calm, his manner easy, his style chaste; and his ministry proved attractive, earnest, spiritual, and soulsaving. His love for little children was unusual; and never did he experience purer happiness than when he had them grouped around him, and listening as he spoke of the love of Christ. In pastoral tact and attention he was an example unto many. His gentle manners, devout spirit, and loving words, always made him a welcome visiter in sick chambers; and many are the sainted ones whom he helped to comfort in their passage through the Jordan. His conversation was in heaven. Death had no sting for him, and life no attractions longer than he could live for some good purpose. The guileless purity of his heart, the meek simplicity of his life, his love and pity for the destitute and the sick, his deadness to the world, and his uninterrupted communion with God, presented a beautiful specimen of Christian holiness. An hour before he died, he said, "Let us sing the Doxology;" and the last utterance of his lips was the word "Praise." During the brief illness which terminated in his

death, his mind was kept in perfect peace. He fell asleep in Jesus, at Wavertree, August 28th, 1863.

3. JAMES ALLEN, 1ST; born at Burslem, September 28th, 1787. Descended from godly parents, he was led by their counsels and prayers, while yet a youth, to religious decision and union with the church of Christ. His sorrow for sin was extreme, until, while he wrestled with God in private prayer, agonizing distress was displaced by the joys of pardon. The reality of that important change was never doubted, and was abundantly sustained by a holy life. Having been made a class-leader in early life, and being remarkable for gravity of deportment and fervent zeal, he rendered services efficient and successful. Shortly afterwards he began to call sinners to repentance; and, in the year 1806, before he had completed his nineteenth year, he became a probationer for the Christian ministry. In several Circuits he wit