and our determination to maintain them, we disclaim any
intention to interfere with the merely secular, party-politics of
the day.

This resolution, as it afterwards appeared, did not go far enough to
meet the wishes and designs of Dr. Alder. He, therefore, brought the
matter before the Book Committee, Toronto, in October, 1839. To that
Committee he stated at length his decided objection to the course
pursued by the _Guardian_ since Conference as "a violation of the known
design of the resolution adopted by it." Dr. Ryerson, while fully
justifying the course which he had pursued, nevertheless tendered to the
Committee his resignation as Editor. The Committee, however, instructed
Rev. William Case to write to him as follows:--

By request of the Book Committee, I beg leave to communicate the
result of their deliberations on the subject of your proffered
resignation of the editorship of the _Guardian_. "_Resolved_, That
the Committee do not feel themselves at liberty to accept of the
resignation of the Editor of the _Guardian_, and that he be
affectionately requested to withdraw it, and to continue his
services in accordance with the deliberately framed regulations of
the Committee until the ensuing Conference, the regulations to
which he objects having been adopted, not for the purpose of
reflecting in any way upon the Editor; and that we assure him that
we have the utmost confidence in his ability, his integrity, and
his anxious desire to promote the best interests of the Connexion."

Dr. Ryerson withdrew his resignation at the time, but resolved to press
it at the next Conference. This he did; and peremptorily declined
re-election at the Conference of 1840--in fact other and more serious
matters were pressed upon him. He thus finally retired from the
editorship of the paper which he had established in 1829, and which he
had made such a power in Upper Canada. He justly felt that, with the
enlarged Methodist constituency which the _Guardian_ at this time
represented, it would be impossible for him, while great questions
remained unsettled, to harmonize the conflicting opinions on
politico-religious matters which were then held by opposite and
influential sections of the Methodist Church. He clearly foresaw further
conflict on these and other inter-connexional subjects, and was,
therefore, the more anxious to free himself from the unwise, official
t