pointed as aforesaid, apply the annual produce or sell and dispose of all or any part of her real and personal estate, and apply the produce thereof to such uses and for such purposes as they in their discretion should think proper, without any restriction, trust, or condition whatever; she relying on the almighty power and good grace of Jesus Christ, her God and Saviour, to dispose their hearts in all things which might tend most to his honour and glory and the real good of mankind, by the spreading and promoting his glorious and precious Gospel, as well abroad as at home."

By a codicil to the above will, bearing even date with it, the Countess, in a very striking and affecting manner, requested that her children would approve and confirm the disposition she had made of her effects.

No objection was made by Lady Huntingdon's family to the fulfilment of her wishes, in regard to the bequests made by her will; and accordingly her four trustees above-named entered into possession of her chapels, and employed the same for the purposes of religious worship, and acted in reference to the appointment and revocation of ministers, &c. in all respects as the Countess had done.

Dr. Haweis, having survived his co-trustees, by a deed, bearing date 1st March, 1805, appointed Dr. Ford, and Messrs. Groves and Butcher, to fill up the vacancies occasioned in the trust; and on the deaths of Dr. Ford and Mr. Groves, Dr. Haweis and Mr. Butcher, by deed, dated 12th of June, 1807, appointed Messrs. Oldham and Langston to succeed them. But Lady Huntingdon's will, nor any of the other arrangements which she made, convey an idea of any particular control exercised by her over the Connexion. All the evangelical writers of the age in which she lived represent her as pre-eminent for humility, and surely nothing but incontrovertible evidence should warrant the supposition that she aspired at absolute dominion in the Church of God. It is certain that over the Connexion, as a religious body, she had no legal control; nor is there any evidence that she aimed at this. It was, of course, in her power to continue or withhold her patronage, her pecuniary support, and the use of the chapels, which were her property. But the last was not the most important item in her bounty toward the Connexion.

Lady Huntingdon possessed, however, a moral power over the Connexion, of uncommon extent, probably amounting to a moral control. Her decision, her zeal, her self-denial, her perseverance, her ardent devotion, her personal condescension and kindness, gained on the hearts of all who knew her, and especially of those who laboured under her patronage. The minis

ters and students, animated by her example, cheered by her kindness, and supported, whenever it was necessary, by her bounty, were ready to do any thing that she desired, knowing that her desires glowed with zeal for the glory of God and the good of souls. The publicity of her character, as the patroness of every good work, and especially of the extensive preaching of the Gospel, caused the applications from all quarters to be made directly to her rather than to any other person. And as she possessed great constitutional vigour, with the unwearying perseverance necessary for multifarious correspondence, she became necessarily the centre and spring of all the itinerant movements of the Connexion-not by any assumption of power, but because there was no other person so able or so willing to carry on the arduous work. She, therefore, applied to the ministers and students to supply at different places, as openings occurred; her applications were resistless: made by a peeress of the realm, in a cause to which she herself had devoted her all, so as often to be reduced to a simple change of raiment, they went whithersoever she wished, even at the hazard of great and frequent privations. All this, however, was but the voluntary homage of free minds to a soul of a superior order. In this sense it is conceded that Lady Huntingdon had a most effective control over the affairs of the Connexion. There can be but little doubt that she was consulted on every occasion of importance, and that her approbation was a passport to popularity for any measure; but a legal control over the Connexion was not thought of; she had, in her personal character, a power that no law could have ever conferred.

Her conduct proved that she had no desire to obtain such legal control. From the year 1783, when the secession began, to her death, in 1791, her Ladyship possessed herself of only seven chapels as private property, and one of them was mortgaged to its full value as soon as bought; and yet, during that time, she was annually expending the whole of her income, excepting a scanty reserve for her personal expenses, in supporting the College and promoting the spread of the Gospel, and that income, for the last few years of her life, after her son's death, amounted to 2,2001. a-year. Now, if the sums which these two chapels cost, and the sums raised upon them, be carefully inquired into, it will be seen that the amount spent in this way made but a very small proportion of her expenditure; yet, this was the only way in which she was likely to acquire a legal control over the Connexion. Here was a practical illustration of her principles. She sought not to secure dominion to herself or her successors, but to have the Gospel of Christ extensively preached.

The term "Connexion" has been frequently used; and here it may be proper to ascertain who were the members of the Connexion of the Countess of Huntingdon. It is presumed that no person, conversant with ecclesiastical language, will imagine that every hearer who attended the chapels, or even every person contributing to the support of them, could be considered, in the strict sense of the expression, a member of the Connexion. A common practice, in Lady Huntingdon's days, among all who were called Methodists, whether Calvinistic or Wesleyan, was to form the converts into Societies, who generally met weekly, or, in some places, once a fortnight, for mutual edification. These corresponded, in nature and design, with the churches of the Congregational and Independent denomination, differing from them only in holding their meetings less frequently and in a less formal exercise of discipline. Their officers were less separated from the rest of the members than the deacons of Congregational churches, being, in many societies, chosen for a limited time rather than for life, as deacons generally are. What was the constitution of these Societies in the secession patronised by Lady Huntingdon will be best understood by consulting the rules proposed by the Ministers, recommended by her Ladyship, and printed for the use of the Societies, 1785. As they are not long, and the printed copies are become scarce, it may gratify the reader to be furnished with a copy at full length :

Rules for the General Societies in the Countess of Huntingdon's Connexion. Whereas, in all revivals of experimental religion in those places where the Gospel is preached with faithfulness and the power of the Holy Ghost, it has generally been found to be most desirable and expedient to promote and establish Society Meetings amongst those that are truly awakened, for the purposes of glorifying the Lord, building up each other in their most holy faith, and endeavouring to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace, and adorning the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things; thus walking as becometh those that profess godliness:

It has been, therefore, thought meet, by the consent and approbation of the elect Lady and Patroness of this Connexion, THE COUNTESS OF HUNTINGDON, upon the recommendation of the principal Ministers, that such Society Meetings be established throughout the said Connexion, on a plan that shall be uniform, and, by the blessing of God, permanent throughout the whole work in the Secession.

And for the greater order and regulation of such Societies, it is proposed—

I. That no person be admitted a member of such Societies who is not a stated member of one of the congregations in her Ladyship's Connexion, and who does not hold those evangelical principles contained in our general Confession of Faith, as signed by our Ministers at their ordination.

II. That no person be admitted at the first institution into those Societies as a member, but such as have been examined by the Ministers for the time being. And after the establishment of the Societies, they must also be approved by the majority of the members belonging to those respective Societies.

III. That such members meet together once a week, or at least once a fortnight, on a fixed day, in the respective chapels, or places where they assemble for public worship; and that such meetings begin about half an hour after six, and be ended at eight o'clock in the evening, from Michaelmas to LadyDay; and begin at seven, and end at half an hour after eight, from Lady-Day to Michaelmas, to prevent giving offence to others by later hours.

IV. That whosoever is known to be absent four weeks successively, without assigning a sufficient cause to the Minister, may be excluded from the Society.

V. That, to prevent confusion, no person be removed from the Society but by the Minister for the time being; that the cause of such removal be assigned to the Society in general, unless there be any cases that make that inexpedient; then to two or three of the most judicious and experienced members of the Society, who shall, under their own hands, testify their approbation thereof, and thereby confirm the propriety and impartiality of the Minister's conduct herein. And that any member has liberty, beforehand, to apply to the Minister, in private, in case he judges such removal to be necessary.

VI. That an unhumbled disputatious spirit, and a vain conformity to the world, in card-playing, dancing, frequenting playhouses, and places of such like carnal amusements, horse races, clubs for entertainment, or ale-houses and taverns, without necessary business, lightly and profanely using the name of the Lord in common conversation, and any other disorderly carriage, be sufficient grounds of complaint and removal.

VII. That the Minister for the time being attend such meetings, and give an exhortation suitable to the design hereof, and most adapted to the circumstances of the respective societies, and may call on any of the members, if he sees fit, to begin or conclude with prayer.

VIII. That every ordained Minister that is to stay for a time with such Societies, administer the communion to such Society only, at the first meeting after the first Lord's day that he preaches among them, previous notice being given thereof in the public congregation, on the said Lord's day preceding; and as much oftener, whilst he stays, as himself and the elder members of the Society shall judge convenient.

IX. That these General Society Meetings are not meant to take place of, and to abolish, yea rather they are intended to promote, encourage, and enliven any other occasional or stated meetings for prayer, or for mutual converse in smaller companies relative to their experience, as to the state of the soul, which are hereby much recommended, wherever they may have been already established, and conducted with convenience and propriety.

Lastly-That every person thus admitted into the Society have a ticket signed by the Minister for the time being, which is to admit such person, and no other; and that the names of every member be entered in a book kept for that purpose, and be read over in the public Society once a year, a month before the said tickets are renewed, which renewal is to be annual also.

N. B. That in order to keep regularity and a stricter attention to the said Society, it is thought proper that six of the most judicious members shall be fixed upon to attend the society in turns; and a book, properly ruled, be kept, and one of the six members to check the names of such as do attend.

That if any member be sick, such member be visited, and if necessary shall be relieved; and in order to keep a fund for the said purpose, each member (if able) subscribe one penny per week.

That if any member be absent two meeting nights, one of the six members shall visit him, and know the cause.

T. WILLS,

W. TAYLOR.

Note.It is also recommended by her Ladyship, to all who may belong to these various Societies, to consider them not only for their own advantage solely, but also, as putting it into their power, in the use of the means, to promote the cause of God universally in their several relations, connexions, and stations in life, as opportunity shall offer; particularly by recommending to others to hear the preaching of the truths of the Gospel, and by dispersing of books; thus endeavouring to commend and enforce, with all zeal and faithfulness, the importance and actual necessity of the great and only salvation of Christ; which conduct, together with their exemplary lives and conversations, will most effectually evidence the sincerity of their own profession.

College, Wales, January, 1785.

S. HUNTINGDON.

Considerable property has, from time to time, been bequeathed to Lady Huntingdon's Connexion. Payne Haweis, formerly Miss Orton, who had long resided with Mrs. James Lady Huntingdon, by her will, dated October 18, 1794, bequeathed certain plantations in the West Indies, a copyhold house at Brighton, a leasehold messuage in Queen Ann-street, Marylebone, and a leasehold estate in Rotherhithe, to her executors in trust for the Connexion. After a Chancery suit of many years' duration, the trustees have been decreed to be entitled to a small estate at St. Kitts, devised to them by Mrs. Haweis, "for the support and propagation of the Gospel in the Countess of Huntingdon's chapels, or in any other chapels which her successors should patronize." Dr. Ford, of Highbury, bequeathed to the Connexion the interest on the residue of his estate, which is presumed to be very considerable. Mr. John Cooper also bequeathed one-half of the residue of his personal estate towards the support and maintenance of the College at Cheshunt, amounting to 170l. per annum, and the other half to the trustees of the Connexion of the Countess of Huntingdon.

Thomas Hawkes, Esq., of Piccadilly, whose will was proved in 1810, gave to the College at Cheshunt, 10007.; and for the relief of aged and infirm ministers and widows in the Connexion, 5007. Mrs. Rupertia Hill, in 1818, gave china, plate, and furniture to the use of chapels belonging to the College; also 1000l. to the College, and 1000l. to be divided between the poor ministers and congregations belonging to the Connexion, 100l. to the Travelling Fund, and 1007. to the Provident Fund. James Oldham Oldham, Esq., in 1822, gave to the College 10007.; Provident Fund, 10007.; and Travelling Fund, 5007.; also a considerable estate at Cobham, which is divided between the College and other institutions belonging to the Connexion. The late Richard Butterworth, Esq., 12251. to the College, and a like sum to the Provident Fund. John Henry Mum, Esq. 30007.; Mr. Richard Low, 10007.; W. Hodson, Esq., 10007.;