fore. But I lost all confidence in my
superintendent, and a portion of the respect I had felt for those who
took his part. Towards the close of the year my superintendent and his
friends endeavored to prevent me from receiving a perfect certificate,
on the pretence that I had expressed a doubt whether my health would
prove equal to the work of the ministry. Their objections proved of no
avail; but the spirit which my superintendent showed, increased the
unhappy feeling which his previous unkindness had awakened in my breast.

19. The wife of one of our ministers published a book, and the husband
sent it to me for review. It contained, mixed up with a great variety of
useful remarks, a number of anti-scriptural and antinomian passages.
While I did justice to the rest of the book, I exposed its errors with
great fidelity, and gave the husband great offence.

20. About the same time a gentleman at whose house I was billeted at
Bury, when lecturing there on temperance, made me a present of a volume
of Channing's discourses. I read this volume with the greatest delight,
and spoke of it highly in my periodical. Now Channing was a Unitarian,
and in one of the discourses contained in the volume which I had
commended, there were several Unitarian expressions. The husband of the
lady whose book I had reviewed brought the matter before Conference. He
also quoted from my periodical a number of passages which he contended
were not Methodistical. He was very violent in his remarks, and
concluded his address by demanding my expulsion. He had conferred with a
number of other preachers before Conference came on, and formed a
considerable party, and the clamor for my condemnation was both loud and
somewhat general. A gentleman, however, of great influence in
Conference,--the same who had pleaded for moderation at the Conference
previous,--rose and proposed a gentler course. The result was a
committee, explanations and a settlement. After the Conference, the
terms of the settlement were misrepresented by my opponents, and I felt
called upon to put them in their proper light. This revived the
controversy, and made matters worse than they had been before.

21. I have referred to the rule which required young preachers to remain
single for four or five years. When a person was received into the
ministry, he was required to give a pledge that he would keep this rule.
I declined to give this pledge, I said I had no _intention_ to marry
befor