outskirts are neglected, the thousands who daily and nightly congregate in drinking saloons and dens of iniquity have no warning, the crowds of pleasure-seekers who turn the Sabbath into a holiday of amusement are not disturbed. A battalion of stalwart, zealous local preachers, working under the lead and with the hearty co-operation of the regular pastors, would, in a few years, effect a perfect revolution in our cities. Local preachers are not a separate order of the ministry. They are not priests or pastors, not ministers in the ordinary meaning of the word. As a class they are not set apart to the work of the ministry and authorised to administer the ordinances of the Church. They belong to the laity; but are laymen approved and certified by the Church as fit persons to preach the Gospel publicly. There should be no jealousy or conflict, but the most perfect harmony and hearty cooperation between them and the regular ministry. As their helpers in the general work, the pastors should give them all encouragement and assistance. If the lay brother lack wisdom, instruct him; if he be weak, strengthen him. Speak not unkindly of him to the membership. Give him something to do, and help him do it. The lay preacher should be the leader and exemplar of his society; when not absent on duty elsewhere, he should be active in the Sabbathschool and always present at the prayer-meeting and class-meeting. He should be always on duty; ever ready to answer a call, or meet an emergency, or drop a word in season to his associates. He should not aim to preach big sermons, or be ambitious to occupy the pulpit of the pastor. His only ambition should be to win souls to Christ. If he must work without pay, and find himself, he has this consolation, that, if faithful to his trust, there is a reward-the joyous consciousness of working for the Master here, with the hope of a starry crown hereafter. If local preachers have not now the influence they had in the early days of Methodism it is because the Wesleyan test has not been rigidly applied in granting licenses: have they "grace, gifts, and fruits"? The old rule was a good one; first, try them as exhorters, and, if found worthy and efficient, then license them as local preachers. If the local ranks are crowded with unfit persons, thin them out, and recruit from the most worthy of the laity. Grant no license to gratify a weak brother or please his friends. Lift up the standard; elevate the class to a higher plane of power and usefulness. The Church should select its best laymen in the various vocations of life,-professional men, merchants, bankers, mechanics, common labourers,pray until they are filled with the Holy Ghost, and then thrust them out into the field. Do that, and grand results will follow. W. S. ALLEN, M.P. (Wesleyan), said: Lay preachers are essential to the prosperity of Methodism. They have materially helped to make Methodism what she is now. Methodism might have existed, but she could certainly never have extended as she has done, but for their assistance. They have done much to build up those great and flourish. ing Churches which are doing so much for the religion of England, America, and the world. Lay preachers have enabled Methodism to take hold of, and influence for good, the small villages and thinlypopulated districts of England and America, and also to evangelise the masses of our great towns and cities. A country circuit with its fifteen or twenty village chapels, and its two travelling ministers, could not possibly be worked without their assistance; and it would be likewise impracticable to work a town circuit, with its two or three large chapels, and its four or five smaller ones, and its mission-rooms as well, without their help. Lay preachers are therefore absolutely necessary to Methodism, as the great Methodist Churches could not possibly have grown to their present magnificent dimensions without them; and they may be said to be absolutely essential to her very existence as an aggressive Church. But, notwithstanding this, there is unquestionably a tendency in some quarters to undervalue and disparage lay preachers and the work they do. Nothing is more common than to hear the expression uttered in a sort of half-contemptuous manner, "Oh, it's only a local preacher to-day!" Now I must stand up for my order. I know no men more deserving of praise than thousands of hard-working men who, either as farm labourers or artisans, have to toil hard at their various callings six days in the week, who have to prepare their sermons under great difficulties at night with their children playing around them, who have few books, and scarcely any time for study, and yet Sunday after Sunday these men walk miles to preach the Gospel without pay or reward. All honour to such men! They have made Methodism. Their record is on high, written in characters that shall never fade in the great books of God, which shall be opened on that day when all human actions shall be weighed in the balances of infinite justice. There have been various schemes brought forward at different times for improving us and rendering us more efficient. Allow me in all humility to say, "Let us alone." We are plain, homely, and unlettered men, so don't harass us with examinations and courses of study, but "Let us alone." Take what care you like that none but suitable men enter our ranks. Take also what care you like that none but men of piety and men who are sound in the faith shall be retained, but having done this, "Let us alone." But though in all humility we may ask to be let alone, the question must press home to the heart of every lay preacher, "How may I succeed in my work? How may I become a soul-saving man?" I think one important requisite is, that we should keep humble and keep to our own peculiar work. Let us remember that we are only plain and simple laymen, who can just tell in the market language the grand old story of the cross. And as a rule I don't think we should seek to preach in the pulpits of our large chapels; let us be content to stand up in the smaller chapels and mission-balls of our great towns, and in the chapels of our country villages, and in the open air. Open-air preaching has done much for Methodism, and our young men who are healthy and strong, in suitable weather, cannot find a nobler sphere for their labours than preaching in the open air to the crowds that will flock around them. I think, also, a second requisite of success is to be faithful; to preach the Gospel fully and faithfully. Rowland Hill once said, "Some men preach the Gospel as a donkey mumbles a thistle, very cautiously." Let us be faithful. Let us make the Saviour as precious, and heaven as bright, and holiness as holy, and sin as black, and hell as hot, and damnation as awful and eternal, as Christ and the Bible make them. Another requisite of success is earnestness. Let us be in earnest. Earnest men prosper in life, they succeed in every branch of business, and the earnest lay preacher will command success. Our work is important, terribly important; souls are perishing around us, the harvest is white for the sickle. We Methodists have a glorious creed, a creed embodied in those magnificent lines: - "Lord, I believe were sinners more But this very creed involves us in vast responsibility, because on our earnestness and our faithfulness the salvation of our fellow-men very much depends. Another grand secret of success I believe to be prayer-intense, pleading, wrestling, prevailing prayer. I read the lives of the great soul-winners of that branch of Methodism to which I belong, and I find they were all men of ceaseless, prevailing prayer. I read of William Bramwell rising very early and spending hours on his knees, and coming down to breakfast with his hair all wet with perspiration from his intense pleading with God. I read of John Smith prostrate on his study floor for hours at a time, in an agony of prayer, pleading for souls, while his sobs and his groans rang through the house. I read of Edward Brooke, wild and eccentric it is true, yet rising at four in the morning and spending hours in prayer; and when I look at the results of these men's labours, I find that each of them led thousands to Christ, and from the story of their lives I learn the lesson that intense prayer is necessary for success in our work. But, above all, I believe the grand requisite for every lay preacher is to be baptised with the Holy Ghost and with power. I believe in a distinct and definite blessing of power from on high-power to win souls for Christ; a distinct and definite blessing only given, but always given, in answer to the wrestling prayer of intense desire and prevailing faith. And oh! what a priceless blessing is this-power to win souls for Christ! Wealth and rank, and earthly fame and earthly honour, seem to me but as dust in the balance, lighter than the feather that floats in the sunbeam, in comparison with this priceless gift. Clothed with this power I see a plain farm labourer become one of the grandest lay preachers England has ever seen, and toiling on for more than thirty years he leads thousands to Jesus. I see also a poor fisherman, homely and unlettered, and wherever he goes revivals of religion break out, and scores are converted. I see also a young man engaged in business, yet endued with such power from on high, that the hand of God is with him wherever he goes, and hundreds are brought to Christ. And the success of these men teaches me the absolute necessity of being baptised with power from on high. My brother lay preachers, let us be soul-saving meu. We may be; let us resolve, by God's help, we will be. Nothing else will pay for eternity. Let our motto be-Souls for Christ! souls for Christ! Let us preach with all the terrible earnestness of those who feel they are standing up before immortal men whose eternal destinies are trembling in the balance. Let us plead with intense desire and prevailing faith for the gift of spiritual power, and we shall succeed. Grand will be the victory, glorious the harvest, countless the sheaves, vast the reward, bright the crown, and joyful the welcome when the great Master shall say, "Well done, good and faithful servant; enter thou into the joy of thy Lord!" REV. W. H. KINCAID, M.A. (Methodist Episcopal Church): Mr. President, will you allow me to call attention to one phase of the question, so ably presented by Judge White and the Hon. Mr. Allen, in a condensed statement, rather than in an extempore address. Whilst the past history of local preachers is beyond peradventure in the New World, no brighter pages in the history of Methodism are found than in the record of the work of Philip Embury, Robert Strawbridge, and Thomas Webb. The problem of the present and future is the question of the hour, and is yet to be solved, especially by those branches of the Methodist family of an Episcopal form of Government. Not the order itself; it is one of the essential and cardinal features of Episcopal Methodists-namely, episcopacy, presiding eldership, travelling and local preachers. Strike down either, and the unity of the system is destroyed. The question, then, is how best to elevate and utilise this great force of workers for the advancement of Methodism. With the abandonment of the circuit system in cities and reducing their size in rural districts, to increase pastoral oversight, the first noticeable effects were to restrict the work of local preachers. To meet this emergency and create a stronger bond of unity and fellowship, the local preachers formed the unique organisation of the "National Association of Local Preachers of the Methodist Episcopal Church," nearly a quarter of a century ago, with that princely local minister, Rev. Thomas T. Tasker, sen., as its first President, and the speaker as Secretary (who has filled the position over twenty-two years), in the city of New York. The primary object was to enable local preachers from different parts to become acquainted with each other in spreading Scripture holiness. But its scope has been since enlarged-namely, to use all proper means to elevate ministerial ability and prevent improper persons from being licensed, unless fully up to the standard required by the Discipline. Whilst this class of ministers have no powers to legislate, and hold the strangely anomalous position accorded them of a dual relation, laymen, except that of exercising the right to use their gifts, by preaching and performing certain ministerial functions, if ordained, yet they may and have the right, like as in other organised efforts not specially recognised by the Discipline, to use all legitimate means for their improvement and better methods of work. This Association meets yearly, and will hold its twenty-third annual meeting next month in Washington City, D.C., the widely-known and excellent Rev. Isaac P. Cook, D.D., presiding. Its nominal membership is large, and embraces the territory of numerous Annual Conferences: the attendance yearly is from one to two hundred. It is representative, and delegates are elected by Conference, District, and City Associations, and wherever none exist an accredited local preacher may be constituted a member for the session. This body holds much the same relation to local preachers generally as a national medical, scientific, and kindred organisations of a national character, which, while not authorised to speak for the great body of local preachers they represent, nevertheless, it is representative in its action, and their carefully prepared papers are regarded and recognised to the same extent as other national bodies are respected, and have a similar effect upon them. No one can dispute their right to hold such meetings, in or out of the Church, so long as they do not encroach upon the rights of others. This body of uncompensated workers, at the loss of valuable time from their professions and avocations in life, and at considerable expense to themselves, and by paying all necessary expenditures at these meetings, assemble yearly to brighten the links of unity, and to use further efforts to render their labours more systematic and effective, and also in elevating the standard of qualifications for the pulpit. The evidence of success is well assured, and through this organisation much good has been done, especially in certain cities and rural districts, by the enlargement of the work and otherwise. Steps have been taken through the law-making body of the Church, and those empowered in executing the same, for the general good of local preachers, with substantial results; it carefully guards their interests in every form. It is unnecessary to give details. The Association is not insensible to the lack of work which should be assigned them, and specifically enjoined upon chief pastors "to provide for local preachers," and to remove the barriers now restricting them in their work. This matter is receiving attention, and the near future may develop practical results. Among the unfortunate effects arising from the strange spirit prevalent in cities, especially in regard to this class of preachers, is the forcing of a countless number of young men, who feel impressed with the duty to preach, and yet do not see their way open to enter fully into the ministry, to decline becoming local preachers. With these hindrances they frequently enter upon some outside mission work, or become active in the Young Men's Christian Association. The result is, the Church loses their services, and in some instances they wander away into other denominations. In some large cities, where our Church fails to utilise the services of local preachers, they are doing a grand work in public institutions instead of for the Church, and other denominations are glad to call upon them for supplies. Their work is reflecting upon the Church in this way for not utilising their services, and in time the Church will be aroused and discover its great loss. There is a future for local preachers and a bright history in the past as well. Among the plans for the future is not only to press with persistent energy every means that will elevate, elevate, ELEVATE the standard of culture and ability, until local preachers are thoroughly prepared to command access to any pulpit in the Church, but also strive to inspire every young man impressed with the duty to preach and exhort to do so with the official sanction of the Church, instead of labouring for irresponsible and outside organisations; and thus be not only a recruiting field to supply candidates for the travelling connexion, |