To the Members of the Methodijl Society, Dear. Brethren* WE earneftly recommend the following Cafe to your confuleration. It was publiffied by our venerable Father Mr. Wefley in the year 1782; and afterwards, when the difpute was ended, reprinted by him in the year 1785, being defigned as a {landing direction to his fons in the gofpel how to behave in every inflance of the kind. We are now in the very predicament which he fup- pofed, and we have followed his direftions ; nor are we affiamed fo to do. The Father under God of the great revival, who by con¬ tinual travelling and infpeftion law every part of it, may well be fuppofed the beft Judge of what tends to its advancement or diffolution. Fie afted precifely as we have done, when an event, fimilar to ours, happened at Dewfbury ; with this difference, that, in the cafe of Dewfbury, the Preachers were only subjedl to expulfion at the caprice of Truflees ; but in the pre fen t inflance, that arbitrary, capricious power has been awfully exercised.* But even then, Mr. Wefley ereftedanew Chapel, near to the old one, and . crave directions that acolleftion fhould be made on the account throughout all England. On the ground therefore which he has directed us to take, and which he himfelftook, we now ftand ; and we dare not dootherwife, not doubting but the Lord will both protebl aud deliver us. We are, • Your affectionate Brethren , TFIOMAS COKE, BENJAMIN RHODES, Bristol, Sept. iith» 1794. FIENRY MOORE, THOMAS RUTHERFORD. The CASE of BIRSTAL HOUSE, by the Rev. JOHN WESLEY, A. M. i, i~AS many perfons have fpokemuch upon this fubjeft, without well underflanding it, I believe it is my duty to throw all the light upon it that I can. And in order to this, I will, Firfl, Endeavour to ftate the Cafe ; Secondly, Argue a little upon it. 2. In order to {fate the cafe fully, I muff look back to ancient times. As foon as the heat of perfecution was over, and Chriffians increafed in goods, fome built Preaching-Ploufes, afterwards called Churches. In following times thofe that built them were termed Patrons, and appointed whom they pleafed to preach in them. And when they annext lands to them, t hey difpofed of houfe and lands together. 3. At the reformation, many rich men built new Churches, and difpofed of them at their pleafure. And when many Prefby terians and Independents in England built Preaching-Houfes, they'placed in them whom they pleafed ; which power they left to their heirs. 4. I built the firfl Methodifl Preaching-Houfe fo called, at Brijlol, in the year 1739. And knowing no better, I fuffered the Deed of Truft to be drawn up in the Prefbyterian form. But Mr. Whitejield hearing of it, wrote me a warm letter, afking, ti Do you confider what you do ? If the Truflees are to name the Preachers, they may exclude even you from preaching in the Houfe you have built! Pray let this Deed be immediately cancelled." To this the Truflees readily agreed. Afterwards I built the Preaching-Floufes in Kingswood, and at N ewcafle-upon-Tyne. But nonebefide myfelfhad any right to appoint the Preach¬ ers in them. 5. About this time a Preaching-Houfe was built at Birjal, by contributions and colle&ions. And John Neljon, knowing no better, fuffered a Deed to be drawn in the Prefbyterian form, giving twelve or thirteen perfons power not only of placing, but even of difplacing the Preachers at their pleafure. Had Mr. Whitejield or I known this, we fhould have infilled on its either being cancelled, like that at Brijlol, or fo altered as to infure the application of the Houfe to the purpofe for which it was built, without - giving fo dan; erous a power to any Truflees whatever.f 6. But a confi'dcrable difficulty flill remained. As the Houfes at Brijlof Kingswood, and Nkwcajlle were my property, a friend reminded fne, That they were all liable to defcend to my heirs, f Pray let thofe confider this, who are fo fond of having Preaching- Houfes veiled in them and their heirs for ever !) I was flruck, and immediately procured a form to be drawn up by three of the moll eminent Counfeliors in London, whereby not only thefe Houfes, but all the Methodifl-FIoufes hereafter to be built, might be fettled on fuch a plan, as would fecure them, fo far as human prudence could, JrOm the heirs of the proprietors, for the purpofe originally intended. 7. In procefs of time the Preaching-FIoufe at Birflal became abundantly too fmali for the congregation. It was then propofed to build a new one. -A-nd a new Deed was prepared, which like the old, gave a few perfons the power of placing and difplacing the -rreaciiers at their pleafur . This was brought and read to me at Daw-Green. As foon as ever I heard it, I vehemently objected to it, and pofitively refufed to fign it. lnowthought I had done with it: but in the evening, feveral perfons came again, and im¬ portunately urged me to fign it ; averring that it was the fame in effeft with the old Deed, and the old Deed could not be altered. Not adverting, that it was altered in the new one, I at length unwillingly complied. Butobferve. Whether I did right or wrong herein, or in any other inflance, it does not affedl the merits of the caufe. The dwelling upon this is mere fine fie, to divert us from the one queflion, " Is that Deed right or wrong ?" 8. Thefe things were mentioned at the enfuing Conference: and it was afked, What can be done ? The anfwer was, " If the Truflees It'll refufc to fettle it on the Methodifl-Plan : if they iliil infill, that they_wi]l havejhe_ri met the Truflees for the New Room, who were all willing to add a Codicil to the Deed of Trull, in order to afcertainto the Conference (after me) the Idle right of appointing the Preachers in it." But this they never would fulfil. t la' Bristolfiine men have been phased te a£t thus J