American Republican and Baltimore daily clipper. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1844-1846, 1845-05-13

lie charged an utter want Of fairness in some
o! the official papers Of the church. The edi-
tors IN their uniform course in suppressng az.
tices fol- publication in favor of Southern views
and the interest of the South from the contro-
versy, had kept false issue before their read
ers, and stated that the impression had been
made that the difficulty was chiefly of a per
soIal nature, and that it had been represented
that the ground CT complaint was chiefly the
resolution by which tie ma orlly Of the con-
/ terence had given it as their opinion that Bisb-
! oP Andrew should cease to exercise the duties
of his office during his connexion with slavery.
! This was not the true issue, for, he said, that
! if tie resignation of Bishop Andrew would have
| produced harmony and perpctulty of the Me-
thodist Episcopal Church as 1t had heretofore
existed, Bishop Andrew would, to have secured
/ these great objects, have yielded to the will OF
the majority; but said that il was evident to
him and his friends that this would not have
quieted them upon the subject OF slavery.
7 DR.. Pierce then went on 10 show most clear
ly that the action Of the general conference in
reationISto Bishop Andrew was winout any
charge against his official or Christian chaTac-
: ter; that 1t was without law and contrary to
the laws of the church as heretofore know N;
that it was solely on the ground Of his connex-
7
ION with slavery was Of The most innocent
kind possible, and that il might bo regarded as
wholly providential.
/ He next said that the people had been hum
bugged or the action Of the general conference
on the subject Of asserting TO the plan Of peace
able separation. This humbuggcry consisted
/ in It's having been said that The general confer
ence had no authority either from constitutions
al or statuary law. lie said that no church
ever provided any law for prospective dv-
SOD; that the only law that could Justify Il
church IN dividing into two ecclesiastical uris-
olctlohs was the law of necessity. This law he
very clearly showed, existed IN the present con-
troVersy, III that we had reached point that
such Legislation as would save the North would
! rum the South, and such as would save the
South would ruin the North This he said,
was proved from the fact that the delegates
from tie two portions of the church had no
doubt understood and rightly represented the
feelings OF their constituents The Doctor
continued upon this subject for several minutes
engaging the attention Of the immense audi
ence, and, in the most emphatic, clear, and
torclble manner, illustrated the ideas which he
entertained ia the premises. His arguments
upon this grand point were conclusive and con-
vincing TO any mind open for conviction. He
/ then called the attention Of the convention to
the border ContertnCes, and their peculiar rela-
ton to this controversy He said that the re-
laton was not one Of equal local interest They
could possibly live and render their ministry
useful under the action of the meagre majority
in the late general conference, while the South
proper could not. But as it regarded the prn-
ciple involved, they were equally bound and
interested with the whole south. He said that
if the principle adopted by the late general
conference was right in itself, we ought OF
course TO submit TO it, but if it was wrong the
whole OF the conferences within the slavehold-
ing States ought to resist it, because, as it re-
garded the prospective peace of the whole
church, they were more interested than the in
terror conferences.
The Doctor here went on to say that the
peculiar situation of the border conferences re-
quired them to be united in their views rela-
tive to this controversy, in as much as disa-
grcement among the preachers and members
would lead to endless and injurious contro-
versles and disturb the peace and hinder the
usefulness of both ministers and members
He then closed in few words on the unity Of
the church, in which he said that its unity did
not consist in its numbers neither in its local.
ties, but in the articles of faith and the mode
of our itnerant ministry. In adherence to
these fundamental principles stood the true
unity of the church. q new organization
would be found to maintain these in their ORR
glnal state without change or abatement
lie said that, as for his part, he considered
the separation indispcnsably necessary for the
prosperity Of the church in the South; that
some were under the impression that this con-
ventlon would organize new church, essen
TALLY differing from the old Methodist Epsco-
pal Church, but that if such were the case lie
knew nothing of it; that il! they were to make
new articles Of faith, he would never consent
to anything Of the kind, and that he would be
found leaving on the very first boat that he
could get on. lie could not, for moment, en-
terrain thought upon such a subject; that he
was firm in his CONCLUSIONS and particularly
upon that, as he felt satisfied he never would
alter from this stand; that if any member of
the audience was at loss to find a man firm
on this point they might refer 10 him with a
certainty.
We regret to give so imperfect an outline of
a speech, profound in its philosophy, unanswer-
able in its arguments, and inmltably brilliant
in its illustrations.
DR.. Capers, in few able and eloquent re-
marks, advocated the resolution, and set forth
with great earnestness, the absolute, undeniable
irreversible necessity of an independent organi-
zaton.
The convention, after transacting some I'M
important business, adjourned until to morrow.
SOUTHERN BAPTIST CONVENTION. A conven-
ton of the Southern Baptist Churches was TO
have assembled at Augusta, Geo, on the sth
inst, to take into consideration the abolition
movements at the North. The Augusta cor
respondent of the Charleston Courier, writing
from that place on the 18th inst. says:
The Convention meets tomorrow morning
at the Baptist Church. The delegates have
been crowdng in all day, and have been receiv
ed in the kindliest possible manner by the citi |
zens, Houses ale thrown open every where