een preached from the earliest
times without the aid of a state endowment. He lived in a land, too,
where the command to the Christian Church was felt to be fitly expressed
by John Wesley, to take the "world as a parish" and preach the Gospel to
every creature. The manner in which this command was to be obeyed was
indicated by our Lord's example, when He sent forth His disciples with
this injunction:--

Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses ... for
the workman is worthy of his meat. Matt. x. 9, 10.

Members of the Conference, in Dr. Ryerson's early days, unhesitatingly
obeyed the directions of the Conference--many regarding it as the voice
of God in the Church--and went forth, without scrip or purse,
everywhere, even to the remotest corner of the land, bearing the good
tidings, not considering their pecuniary interests,[77] or even their
lives dear unto them, so that they might win souls for the Master.[78]

Dr. Strachan's views on the question of State aid to churches were
clearly, on the other hand, the result of his observations, in Scotland.
They are prominently brought out in his memorable speech, delivered in
the Legislative Council, on the 6th of March, 1828. He says:--

Have not the Methodists in this Province ... ever shown themselves
the enemies of the Established Church? Are they not at this moment
labouring to separate religion from the State, with which it ought
to be firmly united?... Has it not been the primary object of all
enemies to regular government ... to pull down religious
establishments?... If they tell me the Ecclesiastical
establishments are great evils, I bid them look to England and
Scotland, each of which has a religious establishment, and to these
establishments are they mainly indebted for their vast superiority
to other nations. To what but her Established Church, and the
Parochial Schools under her direction, does Scotland owe her high
reputation for moral improvement. (Pages 27 and 28.)

Again, in a remarkable letter to his friend (Rev. Dr. Thomas Chalmers,
of Edinburgh[79]), written in 1832, on the Life and Character of Bishop
Hobart of New York, Dr. Strachan relates a conversation with that Bishop
in which he took him severely to task for extolling the voluntary system
of the American Episcopal Church as compared with the endowed State
Church of England. I make a few extracts:--

Let