On September 10, 1784, in Bristol, John Wesley wrote his letter "To Dr. Coke, Mr. Asbury, and our Brethren in North-America," which he sent to accompany The Sunday Service of the Methodists in North America (Wesley's conservative revision of the Church of England's 1662 Book of Common Prayer). - The following excerpt comes from that letter:
2. Lord King's account of the primitive church convinced me many years ago, that Bishops and Presbyters are the same order, and consequently have the same right to ordain . . .
4. I have accordingly appointed Dr. Coke and Mr. Francis Asbury to be joint Superintendents over our brethren in North-America: As also Richard Whatcoat and Thomas Vasey, to act as Elders among them, by baptizing and administering the Lord's Supper. And I have prepared a liturgy little differing from that of the church of England (I think, the best constituted national church in the world) which I advise all the travelling-preachers to use, on the Lord's day, in all their congregations, reading the litany only on Wednesdays and Fridays, and praying extempore on all other days. I also advise the elders to administer the Supper of the Lord on every Lord's day. . .
. . . They are now at full liberty, simply to follow the Scriptures and the primitive church. And we judge it best that they should stand fast in that liberty, wherewith God has so strangely made them free.
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Thank you for this post. For more on early Methodism, please visit the website for the book series, The Asbury Triptych. Enjoy the numerous articles, podcasts, pictures, videos, character profiles and more.
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