To the Preachers late in Connexion with the Rev.
John
BRISTOL, Auguft 18, 1794.
DEAR BRETHREN,
We think it our Duty to lay before you the following Statement of Fafts.
1. Mr. Moore, being defired to aflift in the adminiftration of the Lord's Supper in Portland-Chapel on
Sunday, the 10th of Auguft, (as he had done that day fortnight in the prefence of the Conference,) complied
with the requeft. In the Evening Mr. Rutherford preached at the Room in Broadmead, and publilhed Mr.
Moore for the Evening following.
2. On Monday, about noon, an Attorney's Clerk ferved Mr. Moore with the following Notice:
" Briftol, Auguft 11, 1794.
" Mr. Henry Moore,
" We the underftgned, being Truftees for the Methodift Preaching-Houfe called the New Room
" in the Horfe Fair, and alfo for Guinea-ftreet Chapel—Do give you this Notice, that you are not appointed
" by us to preach or expound God's holy Word in either of thofe Places, and that 110 other perfon or perfons
"■ have or hath any legal Right to make that Appointment but only We the Truftees, we therefore forbid
" and caution you againft attempting Trefpaffing upon the above Truft Premises, as you will anfwer it at
" your Peril.
" JOHN CURTIS, HENRY DURBIN,
DANIEL LANE, WILLIAM GREEN,
NATHANIEL GIFFORD, WILLIAM PINE,
DANIEL WAIT, Junr. THOMAS ROBERTS,
EDWARD STOCK.'
Witnefs,
JAMES HUGHES, (an Attorney.)
3. At five in the afternoon, the Stewards and Leaders, with fome of the Preachers who were ftill in
Town, aflembled at Mr. Moore's apartments; and, after due confideration and prayer, were fully convinced,
that the moft facred privileges of the Conference and of the whole Methodift Connexion were violated by
this aft of the Truftees. They therefore unanimoujly advifed and requefted Mr. Moore to go to the Room at
the appointed hour, to read to the Congregation the notice he had received, and to inform them, that, being
thus prevented from difcharging his duty in that place, he fhould preach immediately in Portland-Chapel.
He complied with the advice of the Brethren; and.had no fooner mentioned his going to Portland-
Chapel, but inftantly the Congregation (the Truftees and a few of their Friends excepted) rofe up as one Man,
and cried out, " We will all follow you ;" which they accordingly did.
4. On Tuefday evening Mr. Moore met the Stewards and Leaders at the ufual place and time, the
Truftees being prefent. When the common bufinefs was finifhed, he obferved, that, as the Leaders meeting
was the proper place to bring forward any accufation againft a Preacher, he defired to know whether any
Perfon had a charge to prefer againft him? After a long filence, one of the Truftees faid, "Sir, we have a
legal power to appoint Preachers for thefe Chapels. We have appointed three, and we do not choofe to
appoint a fourth." Mr. Moore replied, that if they afted as men feparated from and independent of the
Methodift Connexion, the anfwer was proper: but, if they profefled themfelves Members of it, their anfwer
was altogether improper, for it tended to the total overthrow of Methodifm. He therefore again aiked, whether
they had any charge to prefer againft him ? A total filence was the only anfwer to this. It therefore appeared
to all aflembled, that the only caufe of this violent meafure, equally injurious to the Conference, the Stewards,
Leaders, People, and Mr. Moore, was his aflifting in the adminiftration of the Lord's Supper at Portland-Chapel
the Sunday before, though the Truftees were manifeftly afhamed to acknowledge it!
5. Brethren, we thank our gracious God, and the Preachers under whofe miniftry we have fat, that we
are too fenflble of the value of our religious privileges, and of that unreftrained worfhip which God delights
in, to lay them down at the feet of men, who can pretend to no authority either from Scripture or Reafon
for their violent invafion of thefe moft facred rights.
We are not ignorant how often our late honoured Father Mr. Wefley ftrove with thofe men, to perfuade
them to confent to fome limitation of that power, which his death would put into their hands, owing to a
( 2 )
Deed made about fifty years ago, when there was no Conference or fuitable provifion for a fupply of Preachers.
He fo far fucceeded as to obtain a promife, with which he was then fatisfied; witnefs the following paffage
in his laft Journal (the 21ft.) page 128.
" Monday, the 15th. [of September, 1788.] I returned to Briftol.— Saturday, the 20th, I met the
Truftees for the New Room, who were all willing to add a Codicil to the Deed of Truft, in order to afcertain
to the Conference (after me) the fole right of appointing the Preachers in it."
This agreement they never would fulfil, which exceedingly pained our venerable Father: and we feel the
afflidling confequences.—Not content with enjoying their own Chriftian privileges and Truft-rights in their
fulleft extent, without any reftraint or moleftation whatfoever, they have invaded ours, and have expelled from
their houfes a Member of the Conference, (againft whom they could bring no fhadow of complaint,) merely
becaufe he aflifted in the adminiflration of a facred Ordinance, with refpedt to which human compulfion is an
abomination. And this was done, although Mr. Moore adled under your authority, in a Chapel fettled on the
Conference-Plan, at a confiderable diftance from theirs and with which they have nothing to do.
But the Lord reigneth; and the effrontery, as well as the fiercenefs of man fhall turn to his praife. We
are not left without relief. A truly Chriftian Minifter, and his refpebtable Connexion in this City, have moft
liberally given us the ufe of two convenient Chapels, (one in Caftle- Green, and the other in Temple-
Street,) in which, together with Portland-Chapel, we may quietly affemble and worfhip our God, none
making us afraid.
We have alfo to praife the Lord 011 another account. We have gotten by a remarkable Providence a
large piece of ground within a fmall diftance of the Room in the Horfe-fair : and as the people are all zealous
in this important Matter, we truft to have a Chapel foon eredted, (we hope alfo foon to have another in the
neighbourhood of Guinea-Street) fuch as Briftol has not yet known in our Connexion. And as we honour
the memory of our late Father, (as well as his fons in the Gofpel,) it fhall be fettled in that way which was
recommended by him, fo that no Member of your Body fhall ever be expelled from it, merely becaufe it is
the pleafure of a few opprefiive men.
We remain,
with great efteem,
Your affedtionate Brethren and Sifters,
JAMES EWER, Steward and Truftee
HENRY COLLINGS, ditto ditto
THOMAS GADD, ditto
WILLIAM CAPEL, ditto, Truftee of Guinea-
ftreet and Portland Chapels.
WILLIAM HUNT, Steward of Portland-Chapel,
Truftee and Leader
JAMES PIMM, Leader and Truftee
THOMAS WEBB, ditto
ROBERT BOLEY, ditto
JOHN HALL, fenr. Leader of two Claffes and
Truftee
ROBERT CHIDGEY,
EDWARD THOMAS,
WILLIAM MARSTON,
CHARLES STARR,
JOSEPH SNARY,
WILLIAM PRING,
WILLIAM HAZELAND,
THOMAS ROBERTS,
THOMAS POWELL,
JAMES BUNDY,
DAVID DAVIS,
JOHN PAUL,
RICHARD BUNDY,
Leader
ditto
ditto
ditto
ditto
ditto
ditto
ditto
ditto
ditto two Claffes
ditto
ditto
ditto two Claffes
RICHARD ROBERTS, ditto two Claffes
WILLIAM CROSS, ditto
BENJAMIN TUCKER, ditto
GEORGE GAY, ditto
JOHN GWYER, ditto
WILLIAM HARTLAND, Truftee
JOHN HALL, Junr. ditto
JAMES DAVIS, ditto
CHARLES BARTLETT, ditto
EDWARD JONES, ditto
JAMES CHUBB, ditto
JOSEPH PEARCE, ditto
SAMUEL SAYER, ditto
JOHN BROWN, ditto
MARY EWER, Leader, two Claffes,
MARY GIFFORD, ditto, two Claffes,
MARTHA BOWEN, ditto, two Claffes,
ANN HARRIS, ditto
GWEN JENKINS, ditto
SARAH MALLETT, ditto,
REBECCA MANN, ditto,
JANE ROWE, ditto,
ELIZABETH COTTLE, ditto,
MARY GWYER, ditto.
We the underfigned, fome of whom were eye-witneffes to the Fadts above ftated, and all of whom have
ftriftly enquired into the whole of the proceedings, are perfedlly fatisfied with the above ftatement. We were
all prefent at the meeting of the whole fociety, in which that ftatement was read and figned, and know that
it expreffes the mind of the People.
THOMAS COKE,
SAMUEL BRADBURN,
THOMAS RUTHERFORD,
RICHARD ELLIOTT.