Excerpt from The Ecclesiastical Principles and Polity of the Wesleyan Methodists: Comprising a Full and Impartial Account of All Their Ordinances, Institutions, Laws, Regulations, and General Economy, Carefully Compiled and Classified From Mr. Wesley's Journals, the Minutes of Conference, and Other Valuable, Scarce, and Authentic Recor The rise of Methodism must ever be regarded by the Church of Christ as an event of deep and solemn interest, and as peculiarly and providentially adapted for the removal of that lifeless formality which, at that particular period, debilitated and dishonoured the churches of this country; while its subsequent career has been so extensive and imposing, that the history of its people forms a most interesting and instructive chapter in the religious annals of mankind. The vigorous spirit of its evangelical aggression, so commendably displayed in the itinerant labours of its ministers, and the indefatigable exertions of its lay officers and members, as exhibited in its gigantic Missionary Establishment, - in its numerous and increasing Day and Sabbath Schools, - in its varied and stringent regulations for the effective working of every part, - demands from all "who pray for the peace of Jerusalem," an examination of those laws and ordinances on which the general system is based and constructed. The present work is specially designed to aid and encourage this investigation, by collecting, from the most authentic sources, all that relates to the ordinances and government of the Connexion. In a system so diffusive as Methodism, there cannot fail to be portions on which good men may widely and conscientiously differ: these differences of opinion, the Author of this volume has not thought it his duty either to notice or examine. The work merely claims to be a faithful compilation of laws scattered throughout the various connexional documents. The compiler sits not in judgment on those laws, but gives them, in their integrity, as they exist in the official records of the Connexion, appending to each the title and page of the work from which they have been extracted. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.