History Of Methodist Reform, Volume I - Media Sabda Org

eligion, though it was designed as an antidote to hierarchal priestly rule and the superstitions of
Romish doctrine. These were the causes of the fermentation in the Methodist societies. The Legal
Hundred of the Poll-Deed were secure enough, and men seldom voluntarily part with power once
secured. Two hundred out of three hundred preachers were excluded. If the one hundred were
content, conceding that Wesley had the right to make any selection he liked, it is equally true that
those rejected had the same right to grumble and dissent, and they did it.
Antecedently one would surmise that his selection would be made by seniority, seeing he had
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determined to limit the number; but among the seniors rejected, as Tyerman shows, were John
Hampson, 31 years in conference; Thomas Lee, 36; John Atley, 21; Joseph Thompson, 25; John
Poole, 25; William Ashman, 19; Jonathan Hern, 15; Williams Eels, 12; Thomas Mitchell, 36; Joseph
Pilmoor, 19; Thomas Wride, 15; Thomas Johnson, 31, and others; while among the included were,
Joshua Keighley, 3; Joseph Cole, 3; Jonathan Cousins, 3; William Green, 3; Joseph Taylor, 6;
William Hoskins, 1; William Myles, 6; William Simpson, 4; James Wray, 2; and Henry Foster, 3.
An apologist will at once say he wanted some young men as representatives. If so, having rejected
Hampson, it would have been a kindly thing to have named his son, six years in conference; but he
rejected him with his father. On what apparent principle, then, did he act? He sifted out all the
suspects. All who entertained liberal principles, and all whom he suspected of disloyalty to any part
of his plan for perpetuating Methodism as he understood it. Hampson was a republican in politics,
— it was sufficient to exclude him; and so through the list of conference names. In this, from
Wesley's point of view, he did just what any other man would have done in like circumstances and
imbued with the same purpose. He intended his Poll-Deed to be a cohesive, peace measure, — a
hand that would hold together the people and the preachers. Future investigations will show that it
held together the Legal Hundred and their successors, thus perpetuating a Wesleyan party through
the power of property to this day; but it was the direct incentive of perpetual strife, distraction, and
division among the excluded preachers and people.
William Thompson was a leading man among those named by Wesley, cautious and far-seeing.
He took in the salient points of the almost tumultuous situation after the Father and Founder's death,
and within a month he issued a private circular addressed to "the preachers in general and the
assistants in particular." It set forth the dangers impending to Methodism, declared the impossibility
of a personal substitute for Wesley, and proposed that vacancies in the corporate body of the Legal
Hundred should be filled by seniority, a president, secretary, and stewards to be elected for one year,
a member designated to preside at the Irish Conference, the whole work to be districted, and
committees authorized to manage their affairs in the intervals of Conference. It was intended as a
compromise measure, and was favorably received by the Wesley party. Private meetings of leading
preachers were held at Halifax and at Leeds a few weeks after. The preachers in Bristol and vicinity
approved, as did also those of Wales, and Adam Clarke influenced those of Dublin to the same
purpose. These private meetings were an interesting object lesson to the 1200 local preachers and
the 70,000 members who had no part or lot in the disposal of the authoritative remains. Stevens says:
"The lay members of the societies, unwilling that their pastors should have the exclusive control of
the question, were soon in motion. An important convention of Cornish Methodists was held in
Redruth on the 14th of June, and sent to every preacher of the Conference a private account of its
proceedings, which virtually pronounced the Halifax circular defective in the most essential points,
and proposed revolutionary changes respecting the appointment of leaders, local stewards, circuit