Where do the Free Methodists assign any such reason for such action? They do not in their Discipline. They never have in any Conference action. I never heard any individual among them assign any such reason. The reason they give is, that there is no warrant in the New Testament for admitting a person into the Church, even on probation, except on profession of saving faith in Christ.

Again we quote from the same author: "In its early history some of its leaders encouraged a spirit of wild fanaticism, claiming the power of healing by the laying on of hands."

Here are two untrue statements. The first, of encouraging "wild fanaticism," we have met in the preceding pages (of "Why Another Sect?"). We have shown that such men as Drs. Reddy and Ives considered what the Bishop calls "wild fanaticism," as the proper manifestations of spiritual life.

As to "some of its leaders claiming the power of healing," this is also a mistake. None of them ever made any such claim. We acknowledge, with becoming gratitude and humility, that in answer to prayer there have been among us some remarkable cases of healing-but nothing more than has taken place among true Christians in all ages.

The most prominent person who has ever been among us, that we are aware of, who "claimed the power of healing by the laying on of hands," or any thing like it, was then, and is still, we suppose, a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church! He was never a Free Methodist-much less a leader!

We notice a few statements of the Bishop, which, though in a sense true, are misleading:

(a) "Became dissatisfied with the workings of its government."

We never had any special dissatisfaction with the "government" of the M. E. Church. We learned by experience that it was capable of great abuse. We were dissatisfied with the administration-first of the Genesee Conference, and then of the General Conference, in expelling the innocent and screening the guilty.

(b) "They professed themselves to be moved by the Holy Spirit."

No more so than Methodist preachers generally.

(c) "In Church polity the name of Bishop was abandoned, and a General Superintendency substituted."

Not merely the name, but the ordination and the life tenure were abandoned. The General Superintendents are simply officers of the General Conference elected every four years.

(d) "The Conference organizations were retained as in the M. E. Church, and laymen in numbers equal to the ministers were admitted to each of these bodies."

In the Free Methodist Church the lay delegates are not admitted to the Conferences-they, with the preachers, compose the Conferences. The lay delegates are elected directly by 'the members, and not indirectly by the preacher, through a Quarterly Conference, which, in part, is of his own creation. We are not afraid to trust our people.

(e) "The name of Presiding Elder was changed to that of District Chairman."

But the District Chairman may have a circuit the same as other preachers. Presiding Elders do not.

(f) "They also require their members to be exceedingly plain in their dress."

No more so than 'the Discipline of the M. E. Church required its members.