62173 9 3 Total amount of the ordinary deficiencies in Gt.Britain and Ireland, £3354 9 2

948 4 6 with coals candles 680

4

Balance,

PER CONTRA, C.

1800,

04. Towards furnishing Houses.

12 0 0 Dumfries,

An ADDRESS to the MEMBERS of the METHODIST SOCIETIES in England, Scotland, and Irelaud, respecting the present state of their Finances.

FOR several years past, the Preachers assembled in Conference, have laboured under almost insurmountable difficulties in making up the deficiencies in the different Circuits, and furnishing a moderate relief to those of their brethren who were in peculiarly distressing circumstances. They have taken from the Bookroom beyond what was proper, and have now left a debt to the paper merchant, (which has been accumulating for years,) of upwards of a thousand pounds. The principal causes of our embarrassments have been, the sending more Preachers

8

into Circuits, on account of supplying certain places with preaching on the Lord's day, than the people could support; the carrying the Gospel into fresh places; and the great increase of families among the Preachers, for which we have been obliged to hire houses and buy furniture, or pay interest for the money advanced for the purchase of it. We shall, therefore, be under the necessity of sending fewer Preachers into those Circuits which bring heavy demands upou the Conference, unless our dear brethren will exert themselves in increasing the yearly collection.

There is a very plain and easy method of affording ample relief in the present case. Supposing the members of our Society to give, one with another, one shilling to the yearly collection, this would be rather more than sufficient to auswer a l demands, would leave the Book-room to rise from its present incumbrances, and put that trade into such a channel as to make it far more productive to the connexion than is possible in its present state. For instance, there are in Eugland, Scotland, and Ireland, 119,981 in Society; now supposing these to give each one shilling annually, it would raise a fund of 54967. 11s. But in case 20,000 of these should not be able to give any thing at all, and our opulent friends should not do more than make up the deficiency of those who may not give above 6d. each, still there would be a sufficiency. And surely there are very few Societies, poor as they may be, but would, by a proper attention to economy and diligence, be able to furnish this assistance.

That this has not been done hitherto by our friends, cannot have been from a want of affection to their Preachers, nor from a parsimonious disposition of mind, (as a body) for we are fully persuaded there is not a more affectionate, generous people upon earth, but, from a want of information on the subject, or of application to them for their bounty. They well know that they save much more by religion than is desired of them for its support; that superfluities of every kind are cut off by the reception of the gospel in the love of it; that the grace of God excites to diligence and frugality, and brings a blessing on all the works of their hands. They will, therefore, we trust, exert themselves in future beyond the present proposal, and free their Preachers from that load of care which they have groaned under every Conference for a number of years past. Our rich friends will make up the want of ability in the poor, and prevent their exerting themselves above what they are able. Men and brethren, help. Help those who have nearly worn themselves out in your service, to manage their temporal affairs with ease, and make up deficiencies without embarrassment. Help your poor brethren in those circuits which cannot bear their own burden. And above all, help one another to lay up for yourselves a good foundation against the time to come, that ye may lay hold on eternal life.

JAMES WOOD, President.
SAMUEL BBADBURN, Secretary.

No. LVIII.

LEEDS, July 27, 1801.

Q. 1. WHAT Preachers are admitted into full connexion this year?

Samuel Woolmer, Jacob Stanley, William M'Allum, John Walmsley, John Hodgson, John Chittle, David Deakins, William Jenkins, Francis Collier, John Knowles, William Ather