Part 44 (1/2)

Rev Messrs Williaht, James Norris, Thomas Fawcett, William Scott, John G Manly, Ed, John Douse, William Steer, John Sunday, and C B Goodrich

The leave-taking was said to have been very tender and sorrowful Of the members of the Canada Conference who left it, Dr Ryerson said:--

A the ten who seceded from the Canada Conference to the London Wesleyan Committee was the venerable Williaainst his old Canadian brethren, but ished to live in peace and quietness, with the supply of his wants assured to hi, isolated alike from the white inhabitants and from other Indian tribes, where he continued until his decease

The character of this untoward contest with the British Conference party--so far as it related to Dr Ryerson--can be best understood from the conclusion of his five hours' speech before the Special Conference

He said:--

I am aware that a co to destroy me as a public man, and to injure this Connexion, as far as th and efficiency of our Church are not depending upon es which it is supposed will be gained over the Church if I can be put down Our adversaries seeuard to s towards this Connexion The only expedient left is that which requires no strength of intellect--no solid argunity, and zeal It is the expedient of i my character And this is attempted to be accomplished One class of adversaries, not by an appeal to reason, or even to official documents, but by the importation and retail from one side of the Atlantic to the other, and one end of the province to the other, and from house to house, of bits and parcels of perverted private conversations--a raceful to human nature, much more to any Christian community History apprizes me that, in such a warfare, so after they slept in death, when the hand of time and the researches of impartial history did them that justice which the cupidity and jealousies of powerful contemporaries denied theainst h I am keenly alive to their influence upon ed in the Union, because I believed the principles upon which it was founded were reasonable, and the prejudices against it on all sides were unreasonable I do not regret the opposition which I have experienced--the reproaches which I have incurred--the labours I have endured; but I do regret--and every day's reflection adds fresh poignancy toout ato my native country, I have lost sost all Christian denominations than I had when the Union took place Many of them have become ht; but I cannot lose my friends, and meet them in the character of enemies, without emotions not to be described I feel that I have injured myself, and injured this Connexion, and I fear this province, not by my obstinacy, but by my concessions This is arded myself, and all that Providence has put into my hands from year to year, as the property of this Connexion I can say, in the language of Wesley's hye in the wilderness; A poor wayfaring rief, that after the expenditure of so , and means, one of the most important measures of my life may prove a misfortune to the Church of my affections and the country ofas there is any prospect ofuseful to either, I will never desert theround on which we stand: We have offered to concede everything but what appertains to our character, and to our existence and operations as a Wesleyan Methodist Church The ground we occupy is Methodistic, is rational, is just The very declarations of those who leave us attest this

They are coe to our character as a body; they cannot impeach our doctrines, or discipline, or practice; nor can they sustain a single objection against our principles or standing; the very reasons which they assign for their own secession are variable, indefinite, personal, or trivial But the reasons which ible, are definite, are Methodistic, are satisfactory, are unanswerable

The effect of this disruption was disastrous to the peace and unity of the Wesleyan body, especially in the towns and cities

Some ti characteristic letter from the venerable Thomas Whitehead, the President of the Canada Special Conference:--

I have been not a little pleased with the expectation of seeing you this evening, and of hearing you speak of the sorrows and joys of Wesleyan Methodisrant that you and I and all of us, when our labours, sorrows and joys on earth are ended, may meet around the throne of God and the Lamb Your labours, sorrows and joys for these years past have been unparalleled, and to the present they are increasing Well, you have been called (with not a few invaluable assistants) to stand up in defence of the Gospel, and have been sos of Jordan; however, you still rejoice in your labours, and the effects thereof, and so do I; and, blessed be God, the Pilot of the Galilean lake is still on shi+pboard, and he will soon speak peace to the troubled waters, and there will be a great calm I have no doubt but Brother Green and Brother Bevitt (a coood lodging) in your western rides; I aenerous people God bless thereatly rejoice that our brethren in the ministry are faithful, affectionate, and successful in defence of all that appertains to the privileges of the glorious Gospel of the Son of God, long, long preached by the Wesleyan Methodist ministers in the wilds of Upper Canada, and I trust they will, by all Christian means and measures, support Her Majesty's Governive us peace, and good government in our day I have been a little vexed with the travelling gab of one of our own former friends, who is pleased to inform the people that you were the sole cause of the late rebellion I must tell hi of his sing-song is not understood, and that if he will explain his hidden , it will be, that he is ready to prove that the Rev Egerton Ryerson was the sole cause of the rebellion in Heaven, by the fallen angels In that case no one would ratulation, written in May, 1841, to Rev Dr Bangs, on his appointment to the Presidency of the Wesleyan University, Middletown, Conn, Dr Ryerson said:--

I hope and pray that you may be able to continue without abateious public with the rich results of your varied reading and round I desire to express ations; and not the least for your ”Letters to young Ministers of the Gospel,” which were the first I recollect of reading Many of your reestions, on the subjects which they treat, have been of great service toof the rupture of the union between the British and Canadian Conferences, and of alleged personal obstacles which he presented in the way of a reunion, Dr Ryerson said:--The agents of the London Missionary Coh the scenes of schishly disgraceful I am not aware that Elder Case has taken any active part in these transactions, and he has continued an acting and useful e secession from our Conference I have observed by the discussion, especially in the pamphlet lately published by the Committee in London, that the whole affair is made to appear, as much as possible, a matter of difference between the Comainst me in proportion to the want of facts I have always resolved not to allow round of difference between two bodies If I canan areeable and advantageous to ht it would be best to do so, and retire personally froious and general interests ofa more peaceful field of labour in your part of the world, where I alh I know not that I could have done otherwise than I did, in accordance hat is due to personal honour and character

The Iy reserves in a h the old Constitution of Canada provides for the disposal of theislature

Wide-spread, secret dissatisfaction exists in the country; a majority of the new assembly (which has not yet met) are friends of the people, but many are afraid to move, or to say what they think My own apprehension is that, notwithstanding all exertions to the contrary, under the present systeence of the people will be on a level with their liberties Whether my continued silence in such circumstances is a virtue, or a crime; or whether I should retire from the country, or remain and make one Christian, open, and decisive effort to secure for hts a question to ent men, who have talked on the subject, that if I would come out as the advocate of the country, there would be no doubt of success, froeneral, and, as I think, overweening confidence on the part of my friends in y, and froht that, if there should be a failure of success, I could then honourably retire to the United States I am no theorist, but I hate despotishts and feelings flow so strongly in favour of the religious and civil freedoements and duties, I cannot resist therateful to you for your opinion on this general matter, irrespective of details, hich, of course, you cannot be acquainted

To this letter Rev Dr Bangs replied as follows:--

I feel much for my Canadian brethren, and I can never be indifferent to their weal or woe I have never had but one opinion respecting your separation from us, and that is, that it was an erroneous step at the ti with the arets, however, are useless now

The die has been cast; but from that unhappy moment you have been tossed about from one point of the compass to another What a sad condition the people are in, according to your representation! And who shall right theh you cannot be indifferent to their interests, te the country, I would say, that if your brethren judge it best, you will receive a cordial welco us; as I am sure you would from me In the , who presides a us this year I thank you for the expressions of affection Whatever of good you may have received frolory I never undertook any duties with s than I did the present ones; and yet I have been wonderfully blessed and favoured by providential indications When I was called to the Presidency of the Wesleyan University, I dared not say no; but I accepted it with a tre sense of reatly blessed and colad to see you, and remember that I have a prophet's room, and a bed and a table for you

From Rev Dr D M Reese, a noted member of the New York Conference, Dr Ryerson received the following letter:--

I areatyour Canadian conflict with the British Conference; though all our sympathies are with you All concur that you have the victory in your pamphlet war I have not heard a different opinion from any one who has read them I suppose you may have learned how cavalierly Rev R Newton treated Rev Mr Gurley, though introduced to hiely indebted here He refused to introduce hih this favour was solicited He neither invited Mr G to see hiain, nor even called on him This British reciprocity of A, and resembles the treatment you and your brother received at his hands, as well as that of other great men in the Wesleyan Conference towards you

At the Special Conference of October, Dr Ryerson was appointed Corresponding Secretary of the Wesleyan Missionary Society of Upper Canada On the 10th November he issued a statement and appeal on behalf of the Society In it he indicates definitely the secret causes which led to the disruption of the Union He said:--

Zealous attempts have been ion by the pretense that party politics is the [difficulty] Never was a pretext s of our Conference--and is even adlish Conference--that no political party question should, on any account, be suffered aan, and that we did not even desire the continued discussion of the clergy reserve question But with even silent neutrality on all questions of civil polity , the authorities of the English Conference were not satisfied; they insisted that we should ”admit and maintain, even in this Province, the principle of Church and State Union”--a question which has been the anization of any question which has ever been discussed in Upper Canada They also insisted that we should concede to the Conference in England the right of an ”efficient direction over the public proceedings” of the Connexion in this province These are the real grounds of the difference between the two bodies

In a letter on this subject, written by Dr Ryerson, 13th November, he said:--