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I then measured the

a part; at last my opinion became current. stone, and the doctor, finding I was doing it secundem artem, was glad to take down the dimensions. Then the "unknown inscription" came into review. A. C.-This inscription is Coptic, and differs only from the printed Coptic, in Wilkins' Testament, as printed Persian does from manuscript. Dr. Woide's Coptic Grammar was brought out of the library, and I demonstrated my position. Thus in a few minutes was delivered into their hands a key by which the whole may be easily made out.'

18. Testimonies to his literary merit.—About this time the Eclectic Review made its appearance; and the following letters from Mr. Samuel Greatheed, one of its chief managers, show the high estimation in which Dr. Clarke was held by the literary gentlemen who conducted that work:

London, Oct. 6, 1804.

DEAR SIR,-With a copy of the prospectus of the Eclectic Review, I have to address to you my earnest request that you will exert your literary attainments for the assistance of this benevolent and important undertaking. Though I have not enjoyed the privilege of a personal acquaintance with you, I am not a stranger to the laudable assiduity with which you have applied yourself to literary pursuits; and I understand that Hebrew, and other oriental languages, which are highly useful to Biblical criticism, have especially engaged your attention. Your help as a reviewer in this department, or in any other which may be agreeable to you, is entreated. Favor me with an early reply, and I will transmit to you a copy of the rules proposed for the private conduct of the reviewer, together with such books as have been selected, or may be pointed out by you from those which have been published within the present year. Hints for the improvement of the annexed prospectus, which you may suggest for the advantage of this undertaking, will be very acceptable. I am, dear sir, with great esteem, your obedient servant, SAMUEL GREATHEED.'

From the Same.

London, October 12, 1804.

DEAR SIR,-Accept my thanks for your favor of the 9th, with the remarks on the prospectus. Several of them have been adopted in a large number of copies now printed. I have seriously attended to the difficulties which you have stated, against taking a part regularly in the execution of the task which has devolved upon a few of us; but I trust you will be able to surmount them. Our pressure for time is extreme, and I have ventured to send you Mr. Sharp's two recent publications, and a small Hebrew grammar, of which only the introduction is new; and as it contains the best examples of the paradigms, and is most commonly used in dissenting academies, it is worthy of notice. I know not your judgment on the Hebrew points, but you are well aware that much may be said on both sides of the subject. You will greatly oblige me by your remarks on Mr. Sharp's Hebrew tracts, or at least upon one of them in the course of the month, in order that we may insert them in our first number. Relying on your zeal in this Biblical department, I remain your obliged servant, SAMUEL GREATHEED.'

From the Same.

Newport-Pagnell, Nov. 7, 1804.

MY DEAR SIR,-It has given me some uneasiness not earlier to have been able to acknowledge your very acceptable letters of the 24th and 27th of October, and to thank you for the valuable reviews accompanying the latter, all of which were duly forwarded to me from town. Instead, however, of occupying you with a detail of my hinderances, I rely on your candor to give me credit for an earnest wish to have obviated them had it been practicable.

Every instance of your zeal for the important work in which we are engaged, demands my cordial thanks, and none more than the exertion of your talents to render the work respectable by your review of Sir William Jones' grammar, which will appear in the first number. Our printer will get the Persian set up at another house where they are competent to the business, and the sheet shall be sent to you by post for your revision, to guard against mistakes in a business in which we are ignorant. I likewise beg the favor of you, as early as convenient, to attend to what relates to Persian literature in Lord Teignmouth's Life of Sir William Jones: any remarks that occur to you in perusing the work will be acceptable, though we would not trouble you to draw up a finished review, another person having undertaken it. It will depend upon the materials that may be ready, whether your reviews of the Greek and Hebrew grammar are inserted in the first or following number; if all were put in at once, our readers might, perhaps, join with your own complaints, and cry out, Ne quid nimis.

I have not had time to examine the force of Mr. Sharp's arguments on the Greek articles: if you think the ground not tenable, it may be better for us not to occupy it: thank God, the proofs of our Lord's Divinity do not rest upon such points. On you we rely for eastern criticisms, and these may perhaps occupy as much of your time as you can comfortably afford us. As we propose an article of correspondence on literary subjects, I should think your list of passages in the Zendavesta, if not too extensive, very proper for that department. I have a list of all the translations of the Bible in the duke of Wirtemberg's library for the first number: if you prepare such a paper, it may be introduced in the second. If we had many friends as zealous as yourself, we should not fear for our final success: our aim is to do good and to serve the cause of religion. Forget not the need of yours sincerely, SAMUEL GREATHEED.'

From the Same.

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Newport-Pagnell Nov. 17, 1804.

MY DEAR SIR,-I have been carefully revising your account of the Persian grammar, and though I have found very little that could be omitted or much abridged, I have ventured to make some transpositions and verbal alterations, which I judged for the better; wishing that so accurate a piece of criticism should be, even in minor points of style, as complete as possible. I hope you have received "Lord Teignmouth's Biography of Sir William Jones," and that you will favour us with your remarks upon it at your earliest conveniency, as our respected friend wishes to complete his review of the work, for

the second number. Your account of the Greek and Hebrew grammars will be inserted in succession. Haste obliges me to close abruptly. Yours sincerely, SAMUEL GREATHEED.'

This article has lengthened out so much on our hands that wẹ must postpone any farther extracts or remarks until our next number. In the meantime we hope those of our readers who have not yet read the work will procure it, and examine it for themselves.

source.

CHURCH PROPERTY IN THE M. E. CHURCH.

In order to understand the economy of Methodism, it is necessary to trace it to its When Mr. Wesley commenced preaching, he had no intention of forming separate societies, of building houses of worship, and of establishing a regular ministry; and had his views and wishes of reviving pure religion in the established Church of England been seconded by the clergy of that Church, as they ought to have been, in all probability Methodism, as a distinct sect, would never have existed; but instead of adopting this wise conduct, they treated him with scorn, repulsed him from their pulpits, and this compelled him either to cease preaching the Gospel altogether, which he dare not do, or to seek for other places to discharge his high duties, as a minister of Jesus Christ. When first forbidden the use of the churches, he went into the fields, where he proclaimed the glad tidings of the Gospel to the thousands who flocked to hear him, and who anxiously inquired what this 'new doctrine meant.' The consequence was that multitudes of sinners of all sorts, being awakened to a sense of their sinfulness and danger, inquired what they should do to be saved. To those he gave his counsel; and that he might do it more conveniently, he appointed a time and place when and where he might meet them altogether. Hence the foundation of societies. As their number continually increased, private rooms would not accommodate them, much less the multitudes who flocked from every quarter to hear the word preached. These circumstances, all arising out of the course of events, without any previously devised plan of Mr. Wesley, led to the building of separate houses of worship.

As these houses were begun and built for the accommodation of Mr. Wesley and the people who attended upon his ministrations, they were secured to trustees in trust for his use, as a minister of the Gospel, and the pulpits were therefore under his immediate control. They were not only erected for the accommodation of him and his societies, but the money to defray the expense of building them was collected through his exertions. In consequence of this the use of the houses was secured to Mr. Wesley, in the trust deeds, and to his legal representatives, for the purposes specified in said deeds. And for the purpose of ascertaining who were his legal representatives and heirs, he enrolled in the king's high court of chancery a 'Deed of Declaration,' defining what was meant by the yearly conference of the people called Methodists.' The right which Mr. Wesley held in the chapels thus built, will be more fully seen in the following preamble to the 'Deed of Declaration :'

'Whereas divers buildings, commonly called chapels, with a messuage and dwelling house, or other appurtenances, to each of the same belonging, situate in various parts of Great Britain, have been given and conveyed, from time to time, by the said John Wesley, to certain persons and their heirs, in each of the said gifts and conveyances named; which are enrolled in his majesty's high court of chancery, upon the acknowledgment of the said John Wesley, (pursuant to the

act of parliament in that case made and provided ;) upon trust, that the trustees in the said several deeds respectively named, and the survivors of them, and their heirs and assigns, and the trustees for the time being, to be elected as in the said deeds is appointed, should permit and suffer the said John Wesley, and such other person and persons as he should for that purpose from time to time nominate and appoint, at all times during his life, at his will and pleasure to have and enjoy the free use and benefit of the said premises, that he the said John Wesley, and such person and persons as he should nominate and appoint, might therein preach and expound God's holy word; and upon farther trust, that the said respective trustees, and the survivors of them, and their heirs and assigns, and the trustees for the time being, should permit and suffer Charles Wesley, brother of the said John Wesley, and such other person and persons as the said Charles Wesley should for that purpose from time to time nominate and appoint, in like manner during his life,―to have, use, and enjoy the said premises respectively, for the like purposes as aforesaid; and after the decease of the survivor of them, the said John Wesley and Charles Wesley, then upon farther trust, that the said respective trustees, and the survivors of them, and their heirs and assigns, and the trustees for the time being for ever, should permit and suffer such person and persons, and for such time and times, as should be appointed at the yearly conference of the people called Methodists, in London, Bristol, or Leeds, and no others, to have and enjoy the said premises for the purposes aforesaid: and whereas divers persons have, in like manner, given or conveyed many chapels, with messuages and dwelling houses, or other appurtenances, to the same belonging, situate in various parts of Great Britain, and also in Ireland, to certain trustees, in each of the said gifts and conveyances respectively named, upon the like trusts, and for the same uses and purposes as aforesaid, (except only that in some of the said gifts and conveyances, no life-estate or other interest is therein or thereby given and reserved to the said Charles Wesley) and whereas, for rendering effectual the trusts created by the said several gifts or conveyances, and that no doubt or litigation may arise with respect unto the same, or the interpretation and true meaning thereof, it has been thought expedient by the said John Wesley, on behalf of himself as donor of the several chapels, with the messuages, dwelling houses, or appurtenances, beforementioned, as of the donors of the said other chapels, with the messuages, dwelling houses, or appurtenances, to the same belonging, given or conveyed to the like uses and trusts, to explain the words, "Yearly Conference of the people called Methodists," contained in all the said trust deeds, and to declare what persons are members of the said conference, and how the succession and identity thereof is to be continued.'

With a view to produce uniformity in the deeds of settlement, and to secure the property thus held in trust for the conference, for the uses and purposes therein intended, a form of a deed was drawn up and inserted in the minutes for the conference. (See Wesley's Works, vol. v, p. 234.) After Mr. Wesley's decease all the chapels and parsonages were, and are still, conveyed to trustees in trust for the use of the conference in the same manner as they were formerly secured to Mr. Wesley, namely, for the sole use and benefit of the preachers and people for whom they were built; and these deeds of conveyance are rendered legal by the abovementioned Deed of Declaration which is enrolled in the king's high court of chancery.*

When the Methodist preachers first came to this country, these colonies were a part of the British empire, and the societies which were raised up and established under their instrumentality were brought under the same disciplinary regulations as those were in England. Mr. Wesley's authority was acknowledged, and the

* It has, indeed, been asserted by some, that the Methodist chapels in England are owned by the Wesleyan Methodist Conference. This is a grievous mistake.They are held in trust by trustees appointed for that purpose, so that the conference have no right in or control over the property, while the use of the pulpits is secured to the conference, as, indeed, of right they ought to be, as this is the best security that can be given for the perpetuity of having naught but Methodist doctrine preached, and Methodist discipline exercised in them,

houses of worship and parsonages which were erected or purchased were, as far as our information extends, secured in the same way that they were in Great Britain. And for the purpose of saving expense to the societies, and aiding them in possessing themselves of the property so as to secure it for the uses intended, the form of a deed was drawn up and published in the Discipline; and it is presumed that most of the original houses which were built before the revolution, and perhaps for a considerable time thereafter, were conveyed to trustees in the manner prescribed in said form. When, however, these United States took an independent stand among the nations of the earth, and the several states formed constitutions and statutes of their own, they provided, (at least some of them,) among other things, for the manner in which religious societies might incorporate themselves, so as to hold property according to law. And as the general conference thought it advisable that the houses of worship and parsonages should be legally held, they so formed their regulations in their Discipline, as to leave it optional with the several annual conferences to frame their deeds in such a manner as to hold the property legally, according to the provisions of the statutes of the several states and territories, at the same time so as to secure it for the use of the members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. This is manifest from the following language of the Discipline :

'Let the following plan of a deed of settlement, be brought into effect in all possible cases, and as far as the laws of the states respectively will admit of it.— But each annual conference is authorized to make such modification in the deeds, as they may find the different usages and customs of law require in the different states and territories, so as to secure the premises firmly by deed, and permanently to the Methodist Episcopal Church, according to the true intent and meaning of the following form of a deed of settlement; any thing in the said form to the contrary notwithstanding.'

'In future we will admit no clarter, deed, or conveyance, for any house of worship to be used by us, unless it be provided in such charter, deed, or conveyance, that the trustees of said house shall at all times permit such ministers and preachers belonging to the Methodist Episcopal Church, as shall from time to time be duly authorized by the general conference of the ministers of our Church, or by the annual conferences, to preach and expound God's holy word, and to execute the discipline of the Church, and to administer the sacraments therein, according to the true meaning and purport of our deed of settlement.'

From this language of the Discipline some have very improperly asserted that Church property is generally owned by the conferences. That the property thus deeded guarantees to the preachers which may be duly authorized according to the discipline and usages of the Methodist Episcopal Church, the right of preaching God's word therein, to execute the discipline of the Church, and to administer the sacraments, is an unquestionable fact; and we should be extremely sorry that any one should think of putting a different construction upon it; for who can suppose that any legislature would ever think of giving to a board of trustees the right of preventing the execution of their own discipline, or of excluding their own preachers duly authorized from their houses of worship, and thereby of defeating the very design for which the houses were built? But that the preachers have any control over the property, so as to convert it to their own use, or to alienate it from the members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, is as preposterous an idea as could well enter into the head of a wilful and perverted sophist.

But to support the assertion that Church property is owned by the conference, a clause is quoted from the deed of settlement as found in the Discipline. It is as follows:

The trustees' shall erect and build, or cause to be erected and built thereon, a house or place of worship for the use of the members of the Methodist Episcopal Church in the United States of America, according to the rules and discipline which

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