liberty to buy the truth in the love of it, and to do all the good we can among our fellow-creatures. The slave of priestcraft may commit his creed and his duties to another, but a free man ought to think and work for himself.

We thus write, because we are anxious to arouse the leaders of classes in the Methodist New Connexion to a conviction of the reasonableness and importance of earnest co-operation with their ministers in promoting the spiritual improvement of our members and securing the conversion of sinners. Our leaders are the elders of our Churches; they enjoy the highest privileges of our liberal constitution; they legislate in our leaders' meetings, they assist to legislate in our quarterly meetings, and, by representation, in our Conference. Our leaders do not bow the neck of their souls beneath the iron heel of priestly despotism-they walk side by side with their ministers, as friends and brethren: they are free men in the noblest sense, and they ought to honour the liberty they possess, they ought to help their ministers to the utmost of their power, they ought to be valiant for the truth and zealous to do good.

Legislation, in the Methodist New Connexion, consists mainly of resolutions intended to develope our resources and energies for the defence of the truth, the edification of saints, the conversion of souls, and the enlargement of the kingdom of Jesus Christ. But if those who pass these resolutions shrink from the responsibility of carrying them out, and leave them as dead letters in the books, no marvel that we do not add converts to our Zion and extend our borders in Great Britain and in the world. We have already shown that leaders take a large share in legislating for our Churches; it is their duty, therefore, to be foremost in doing what they resolve shall be done. If they do not reduce their own resolutions to practice, to whom must we look for the works of faith which their decisions indicate as requisite for the weal of mankind? We cannot look to the people, for, if the leaders hesitate, the people will be sure to hold back; and to look exclusively to ministers, under a free government, is a social injustice, which the most earnest eloquence cannot too sternly denounce.

How, then, stands the case? What are our ministers doing, and what more is expected from them? Here is the superintendent of a Circuit ; what are the claims on his time and talents, and how does he meet those claims? He walks many miles, and preaches five, six, or seven times every week. The people expect him to preach sermons equal, if not superior, to any that are preached by ministers of other denominations, who have been educated for the ministry, and who have far more time at command than he has for consecutive meditation. Hence, he has to study hard, that he may show himself to be a workman not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. In addition to preaching, he weekly meets a class, presides at a young men's mental improvement meeting, conducts a social prayer-meeting, and directs the business of leaders' meetings. In the course of every quarter he holds love-feasts and Sabbath evening prayer-meetings, addresses children in Sunday-schools, administers the ordinances of baptism and the Lord's Supper, renews the tickets of hundreds of members, attends various committees, makes the preachers' plan, and presides at the local preachers' and quarterly meetings. During the year he delivers speeches at many tea-meetings and missionary-meetings, attends and speaks at meetings held by other

denominations, and occasionally gives a lecture at a mechanics' institution. Twice in every year he visits distant Circuits to advocate the claims of our missions, and he is called from home, at other times, to preach for diverse objects. Once a-year he attends the sittings of the district meeting for two days, and the sittings of the Conference for ten days. He sees to the distribution of the monthly magazines, and to the filling up of schedules for the chapel-committee, the educationalcommittee, and the district meeting. He collects, also, the subscriptions for the chapel-fund, the paternal-fund, and the beneficent-fund; and prepares lists thereof for publication in the Minutes of Conference. Besides all these things, he ministers consolation to the sick in the town where he resides; visits, as he can find opportunity, the members of a large Church, and takes the oversight of six, eight, ten or more country Churches comprehended in the Circuit under his care. Let any clergyman or independent minister, who thinks himself overworked, look at what we have to do, and he will take courage and go forward with thankfulness along the easier path in which he is called to move. It is quite clear, as one has quaintly said, that "we are at it, and always at it." What can we do beyond what we are doing? What more can reasonable men expect us to do? Yet there are some very good and worthy men who, because they see us with clean hands, and clad in suitable attire, fancy that we have a very easy life, and that we ought to work much harder for the good of others. Nor is it uncommon for these excellent brethren, some of whom are leaders of classes, to complain of us in the quarterly meetings and in the Conference, for not going oftener to visit the members of our Churches; while they scarcely ever ask a neighbour to hear the gospel, or pray with a sick person, or visit the few members whose names are in their class-books. Against such inconsistency and want of sympathy with our labours we solemnly protest. Either relieve us from the multifarious duties you have thrown into our hands, that we may give ourselves exclusively to the ministry of the Word and the visitation of the flock, or generously estimate our labours of love, cheer us on by words of brotherly kindness, and zealously assist us.

Before we enlarge further on the duty of our leaders, we feel constrained to write a few words of warning. If our leaders press the whole burden of visiting the people on their ministers, without relieving them from other obligations, they will compel them to neglect the studies which render the ministry of the Gospel efficient. Beware how you do this! If you make the pulpit feeble there will be weakness everywhere. The pulpit is the right arm of our strength, and if you wither and dry up that, woe be to the Connexion! You are solicitous enough about the efficiency of the pulpit, while the stationing-committee, at the Conference, is appointing the preachers to the Circuit. Let equal solicitude be shown at other times by co-working with your ministers in your respective Churches, and all will be well.

The following is the course of useful labour which our excellent rules prescribe to our leaders : Each leader shall meet his class weekly, and, after singing and prayer, relate his own religious experience; he shall then inquire into the spiritual state of his members, administering to them, with all long-suffering and faithfulness, that encouragement, instruction and reproof, which their cases require. His manner shall be affectionate and lively; and he shall be careful to exercise his people in

prayer, and to cultivate their talents for the benefit of the Church. He shall begin his meeting punctually at the appointed time, and conclude, if possible, in an hour. At the close of each meeting he shall call over the names of his members, and receive their weekly contributions; he shall also inquire after the absentees, and note down the cause of their absence, that his class-book may be a faithful index of the state of his class. He shall be affectionate and zealous in his duties, seeing all his members weekly, or, in case of inability, causing his assistant to see them. He shall especially visit the sick belonging to his class, and those who are in distress, seek after the negligent, and endeavour to restore those who are fallen. He shall explain, from time to time, the nature and excellency of our institutions, and the necessity of strict discipline; as well as enforce, both by exhortation and example, punctual attendance on the quarterly visitation, at the Supper of the Lord, and on all our other means of grace."

From the quotation above, it is obvious that leaders ought to cultivate sound and ripe experience. They that lead others should not loiter behind them, but go before them. Richard Baxter tells us, "The things which I opened to my hearers, and, with the greatest importunity, laboured to imprint on their minds, were the great fundamental principles of Christianity; yet I did usually put something in my sermon which was above their own discovery, and which they had not known before; and this I did that they might be kept humble, and still perceive their ignorance, and be willing to be kept in a learning state." In like manner, leaders should walk so closely with God, and exercise themselves so diligently in spiritual duties, as to be able to bring out of the treasury of their rich experience things both new and old to promote the growth of their members in grace and in the knowledge of Jesus Christ. It is melancholy and mischievous beyond measure for leaders, by greediness of gain, excessive worldly care, and neglect of private devotion, to lose their evidence of acceptance and spirituality of mind, instead of waxing strong in faith and being filled with the Holy Ghost. When this is the case they cannot foster and unfold the piety of others with a genial influence like that of the vernal breeze, for they nip and shrivel it with a chilling influence, like that of the wintry blast. Serious meditation on the effect which the state of religion in their own souls produces on the experience of their members would incite leaders to stir themselves up, to watch more carefully against temptation, to enter more frequently into their closets, to walk more constantly in the light of God's countenance, to develope more fully the graces of moral excellence, and to realize more largely the joys of salvation. Thus forgetting the things that are behind, and reaching forth to those that are before, they would feel themselves qualified to speak unto the people that they go forward, and to lead them on from strength to strength in the wilderness, until they tread the verge of Jordan fully meet for a better inheritance, and pass through its cold waters with holy courage to dwell among the blest in heaven.

It is obvious, also, that leaders, while inquiring into the spiritual state of their members, should keep two objects in view: a clear evidence of the favour of God, and conformity to the morals inculcated by the New Testament. It is easy for members to fall into the habit of using a number of common-place expressions and set phrases expres

sive of a uniformity of experience little better than mere formalism; or to advert so frequently to what they thought and felt in the sunny days of their first love, as to dwell among the shadowy ghosts of former things instead of the substantial realities of present enjoyments. Leaders should note these habits, caution against them, repress them, and labour to extirpate them. Leaders should impress on the minds of their members the vast importance of a present salvation, of walking daily in the light of God's countenance, of having a continual consciousness of adoption, of being able now to call God "Father," by the Holy Spirit, to conquer sin, to live above the world and to rejoice in hope of everlasting glory. In addition to this, leaders should incite their members to cultivate sound morality. Around those who, under the influence of happy excitement, brighten into smiles and utter joyous tones, the graces of moral excellence ought to cluster. Imperfect morals among the members of the Church of Christ weaken the faith of men in religious experience, and tempt them to treat it with mockery. If individuals who profess to enjoy the favour of God neglect to pay their debts, to be temperate in eating and drinking, to control their temper, to set a watch on the door of their lips, and to observe the golden rule in their dealings with others, the ungodly will be sure to sneer at religion and bitterly blaspheme. Leaders, therefore, should frequently urge their members to keep at the utmost distance from dishonesty, intemperance, anger, evil speaking, envy, malice, and selfishness; to cultivate uprightness, temperance, patience, purity of speech, humility, contentment, and good will; to be blameless and harmless, the sons of God without rebuke amidst a crooked and perverse generation, shining among evil-doers as lights in the world.

It is required of leaders that they collect weekly contributions of the members of their classes for the support of our ministers. What with infidelity on the one hand, sneering at ministers as hirelings, and Popery on the other hand, making a gain of godliness, it is difficult either to speak or to write about money without being suspected of caring more for the fleece than the sheep, of loving the chink of golden coin more than the souls of perishing sinners. But he is not an hireling who, while he receives temporal support in recompense of spiritual care, leads the sheep of Christ into green pastures and beside still waters, and, seeing the wolf coming, boldly defends them, and compels the enemy to flee; for a hireling is one who careth not for the sheep, and, when the wolf appears, runs away, and lets the ferocious animal scatter the sheep. Nor is the abuse by the priests of Rome of the ordination of God, that those who preach the gospel shall be supported by the hearers of the gospel, a valid reason for withholding from ministers the reasonable pecuniary acknowledgment to which their labours-labours infinitely more precious than gold, yea, than much fine gold-entitle them. Is it not written, "Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn. Doth God take care for oxen? or, saith he it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this is written. If we have sown unto you spiritual things, is it a great thing if we shall reap your carnal things?" Leaders should implant this scriptural principle firmly in the hearts of their members, that it may bring forth fruit in their habits. From time to time you should collect the fruit

thereof according to the ability of the individuals under your oversight, expecting pence from the poor, silver from persons in improving circumstances, and gold from the rich. There is great reasonableness in the requirement of weekly contributions, for it renders liberality an easy duty, it is an oft-recurring expression of gratitude, and a continual act of obedience to the command of God. When leaders neglect to influence their members aright in this respect, the pecuniary affairs of the Church are brought into a state of embarrassment, and ministers are necessitated to leave the word of God and serve tables. That these things are serious evils, and occur far too often, none will deny, and leaders should aim to prevent such hindrances to the prosperity of Zion.

Our leaders are expected to see all their members weekly. This requirement does not mean that every member is to be seen at home. Looked at in connexion with the clause, "he shall inquire after the absentees," it clearly indicates that those who are at the meeting having been seen, the others are to be visited before the next meeting. Such a course is requisite, that the sick may be prayed with, the afflicted comforted, and the negligent admonished. The reasonableness and excellence of the arrangement everyone will acknowledge. Oh that it were conscientiously carried out! Few leaders can plead that the duty is too onerous. In small classes, only two or three members would require visitation; and in larger classes, not more than five or six. When absenteeism is the result of lukewarmness timely attention is of the utmost consequence. The weekly visit secures this, and thus the lukewarm are roused and led back before they become utterly cold and careless, or long absence from religious fellowship has produced a degree of shame, which renders it difficult to return to the communion of saints. If leaders in general would imitate a few praiseworthy examples among their brethren in zealous fulfilment of this part of their work, the Church would soon be brought into a healthy state, and ministers would find it comparatively easy to meet the claims upon them for pastoral oversight.

Leaders would effect great good by training their members to habits of reading. This would not be a hard task if entered on with earnestness. It would not be very difficult to persuade those who confide in your judgment to purchase our magazines, our "Jubilee Volume," the Life of Kilham,' "Waller's Memoirs," &c. Thus a beginning would be made that might be followed up, until all your members would be seen growing, not only in grace, but also in the knowledge of Jesus Christ..

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Above all things, leaders should be careful to show their members the duty of observing the Lord's Supper, attending the weekly meeting for social prayer, and bringing others into communion with the people of God. That the present state of the Church calls loudly upon them to do so is, alas! too evident. Numbers neglect the dying command of the Lord Jesus," Do this in remembrance of me;" very few come together and unite their hearts to supplicate the outpouring of the Holy Spirit; and scarcely any voices are heard saying to their neighbours, "Come with us, and we will do you good and show you the way of salvation." If you contribute by your advice and example to remedy those evils, to