loving and respectful letter be wrote to Mr. Whitefield, wherein he
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the extreme north of England.
Nothing was said at this stage concerning Conferences in Ireland.
When this matter had been settled a question arose concerning Whitefield and his preachers.
We have noted the growth of a better understanding between the Wesleys and Whitefield.
Their personal relations had become cordial.:
At the commencement of the year the Wesleys had given a practical proof of their friendship.
Up to that time Whitefield and his people had worshipped in a wooden ' Tabernacle' which stood near the Foundery in London ; but those who passed through the neighbourhood in the month of March, 1753, saw that a brick building was rising on the site of the old ' Tabernacle.'
Its erection, of course, interfered with Whitefield's services, and the Wesleys came to his help and offered him the use of the Foundery during the erection of the new building.
On March 3 he wrote to Charles Wesley, and thanked him and his brother for the offer ; he also promised that ' the favour should be returned 'if the Wesleys ever had occasion to borrow the * Tabernacle.' # We have seen that at Alnwick the members of the Methodist
Society had been troubled by ' Predestinarians.'
Such was the case in London and in other parts of the country at that time.
We do not wonder that the Conference considered the subject.
The discussion arose on the following question :
' Predestinarian Preachers have done much hurt among us; how may this be prevented in future?'
The answer is as follows :
1. Let none of them preach any more in our Societies.
2. Let a loving and respectful letter be wrote to Mr. Whitefield, wherein he may be desired to advise his Preachers not to reflect (as they have done continually, and that both with great bitterness and rudeness) either upon the doctrines, or discipline, or person of Mr. Wesley, among his own Societies; to abstain himself (at least when he is among Mr. Wesley's people) from speaking against either his doctrines, rules, or Preachers; not to declare war anew, as he has done by a needless digression in his late sermon.
John Wesley carried out the direction of the Conference and wrote to Whitefield.
He kept a copy of his letter, and it is some consolation to know that he afterwards wrote on it the words, 'He denies all.'
We presume that the denial 1See ante, 168.
*See Jackson's Life of Charles Wesley, ii. 19.
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as relates to his own actions.
It cannot cover those of some of his preachers.
Before he received Wesley's letter in May, he had been obliged to restrain one of his preachers from the conduct which is condemned by the Conference.
On March ro he had sent this preacher a letter in which the following sentences occur:
'I do not like writing against anybody, but I think that wisdom, which dwells with prudence, should direct you not to fill Mr. Wesley's people (who expect you will serve them) with needless jealousies.
I hope to see the time when you will ta k less of persons and things, and more of Him who is the common head of His whole mystical body.
This, and this alone, can make and keep you steady in yourself, and extensively useful to others.'?
Whitefield wrote this letter about the time he received the Wesleys' offer of the use of the Foundery ; it shows that he found it necessary to utter a warning against conduct such as the Leeds Conference condemned.
On the second day of the Conference the usual strict inquiries as to the moral condition of the Societies were made.
The attention of the preachers was directed to the observance of the ' Rules."
The result of the conversation was that it was determined to act strongly in the case of members who married unbelievers ; also in cases of Sabbath-breaking, dram drinking, evil-speaking, unprofitable conversations, lightness, and contracting debts without sufficient care to discharge them.
The preachers were directed to call the attention of their congregations, not only to the ' Rules' in which these evils are condemned, but to all branches of ' practical religion,' and to warn the Societies in every place that none ' who is hereafter guilty can remain with us.'
The proceedings of the closing day of the Conference are of exceptional interest.
The business specially concerned the preachers.
Wesley held the opinion that the way to lift the people to a high moral and spiritual position was to see that his preachers should stand without reproach.
The first question asked in the morning was: 'Has any of you any objections against any of the " Twelve Rules of an Itinerant
Preacher"'?'
In our description of the proceedings of the first Conference, held in June, 1744, we made a passing reference to the ' Rules of an Assistant.'* During the nine years that See Tyerman's Life and Times of Wesley, ii. 168.
8 See John Wesley and the Methodist Societies, 216, 217.