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ever, blessed be God, I do not slack my labour. I can preach and write still."

Mr. Wesley preached his last sermon from Isaiah 55, 6. "Seek ye the Lord while he may be found; call ye upon him while he is near." This sermon was preached just a week before he died. He had his perfect senses to the last; and just before he died, he cried out with all the remaining strength he had: " The best of all is, God is with us.

On Wednesday morning, the 2d day of March, after one of the preachers had prayed with him, he said, "Farewell;" which were the last words that he was heard to utter; and a few minutes before ten, while several of his friends were kneel. ing around his bed, without a lingering groan, this beloved pastor of thousands, entered into the joy of his Lord.

Notwithstanding the Methodists in the United States felt the loss of Mr. Wesley; yet we had been so long accustomed to do our own business, and make our own regulations, that we were under no necessity of altering any of our plans, or modes of church government on that account.

CHAPTER VII.

From the beginning of the year 1792, in which the first regular General Conference was held, to the end of the year 1793.

In 1792 we had eighteen conferences, according to the account published in the annual minutes. But the line of the conferences was now changed, and they were began in Virginia, and went forward to the south, and then turned and ended in the north. The two first conferences were held in the latter part of the preceding year: of course some things which were transacted at the conferences held in December last, will be considered as done this year; because they are pub. lished in the minutes of the present year.

The sixty-eighth conference was held at Dick enson's, in Caroline county in Virginia, on the 15th of December 1791,

The sixty-ninth at Lane's Chapel, on the 23d of December 1791.

The seventieth at Green Hill's, (N. C.) on the 21st of January 1792.

The seventy-first in Charleston, on the 14th of February.

The seventy-second in Georgia, on the 1st of March.

The seventy-third in Kentucky, on the 1st of May.

The seventy-fourth on Holstein, on the 15th of May.

The seventy-fifth at Green-Brier, on the 22d of May.

The seventy-sixth at Union Town, on the 2d of June.

The seventy-seventh at New Town, on the 15th of June.

The seventy-eighth in Baltimore, on the 22d of

June.

The seventy-ninth at Duck-Creek, on the 1st of July.

The eightieth in Philadelphia, on the 7th of July.

The eighty-first at the New-Mills, on the 12th of July.

The eighty-second in New York, on the 19th of July.

The eighty-third in Lynn, on the 1st of August.

The eighty-fourth in Albany, on the 15th of August.

The eighty-fifth was a general conference, which was held in Baltimore on the 1st of Novem Iber.

It was just eight months from the time the bishop began to hold these annual conferences, until he finished them. He began them on the 15th of December, and the last was on the 15th day of August.

At these conferences we took in eleven new circuits, which are as follows:

In North-Carolina two, Scope along and Trent. And one in the south called Highco. In Georgia two, Oconee, and Elbert. Two in New York, Staten Island, and Tioga. One in Massachusetts, called Needham; one in Rhode Island called Providence ; and two in Canada, Cataroqua and Oswegochee.

We admitted on trial upwards of fifty young preachers, and added to the society 2314 members this year. But several of the preachers located, viz.

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Benjamin Brown, William Heath, John Eas ter, Sihon Smith, Michael Burdge, John Andrew; Wheeler Grissom, Charles Hardy, Thomas Wil. liamson, John Paup, Lewis Chasteen, Michael Lard, and William Phoebus.

Two preachers were expelled from the connection, Beverly Allen, and Andrew Harpending.

Three preachers died this year, namely, Tho. mas Weatherford, aged 56: upwards of four years a labourer in the vineyard of the Lord of slender system. But what was best of all, he lived the gospel, and died triumphant in the Lord.

Peter Massey, under the profession of religion for some years. He laboured faithfully in the ministry for upwards of three years, and was confirmed and established in the grace of God. An afflicted man, who desired and obtained a sudden death, by falling from his seat; he expired on the 19th of December 1791, about nine o'clock in the morning, at Cumberland, on the western waters.

George Browning, two years and a half in the ministry, a serious and devoted man, who died in peace, and rested from his afflictions, in hope of eternal glory, which God has promised to faithful souls.

At this time, 1792, we had about one hundred members in society, in the states of Connecticut and Massachusetts; the only states in New Eng. land where we had any societies formed. But we now for the first time formed a circuit in the state of Rhode Island.

.On the first day of November, 1792, the first re ́gular general conference began in Baltimore. Our preachers who had been received into full connection, came together from all parts of the United States where we had any circuits formed,

with an expectation that something of great importance would take place in the connection in consequence of that conference. The preachers generally thought that in all probability there would never be another conference of that kind, at which all the preachers in connection might attend. The work was spreading through all the United States, and the different territories, and was likely to increase more and more, so that it was generally thought that this conference would adopt some permanent regulations, which would prevent the preachers in future from coming together in a general conference. This persuasion. brought out more of the preachers than otherwise would have attended.

By this time the plan of the former council had become exceedingly disagreeable to the greater part of our brethren, both preachers and people; and it was expected that some of the preachers would try, in that conference, to revive and establish it. But we were agreeably disappointed. For soon after we met together, the bishops and the preachers in general, shewed a disposition to drop the council, and all things belonging thereunto. And the bishop requested that the name of the council might not be mentioned in the conference again. No one attempted to bring for. ward that business afterwards.

The conference proceeded in the first place to form some rules and regulations for conducting the business which lay before them. To that end there was a committee appointed of the oldest preachers, and a few chosen from those that were younger in the work. This committee was to consider matters among themselves, and when a majority of them agreed to make any alteration in our form of discipline they were to make report to the conference. One of the rules for the

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