Sentinel of the valley. [volume] (Woodstock, Va) 1841-1848, 1845-07-03

ment SaIely allow the Cnurch TO en-
. force disobedience to civil law, as +;
Christian duty? If such attempts arr
made to subordinate the State, to the
schemes and purposes of Church limo.
walton, prompted and sustained by the
bigotry and fanaticism of large masses
of Ignorant and misguided zealots en-
gagged in the conflict in the name O.
God and conscience, and for the os
tensible purpose Of religious reform:
what can be the stability of civil gov.
eminent, or the hopes Of those seeking
its protection? And what, we ask,
must be the interest of the South, in
connection with such movements
In the instance of slavery in this
country, it is but too well known, that
such antagonism as is indicated by the
preceding facts and developments be-
tween the purposes of the Church and
the policy of the State, must result in
the most disastrous consequences to
to both. The slavery of Southern
States can never be reduced in amount
or mitigated in form by such state of
things. The Southern States have the
sole control of the question, under the
authority and by contract of the FEEDER
al Constitution, and all hope of remov-
ing the evil Of slavery, without destroy
ing The National compact and the un-
ion of the States, must connect with
the individual sovereignty fthe States,
as parties to the Federal compact, and
the independent policy of each State IN
relation to slavery, as likely to be inAu =,
enced by moral and political reasons
and motives, brought to bear, by pro-
per means and methods, upon the un-
Outstanding and moral sense of the Sou
them people. All trespass upon right,
whether as it regards the rights of pro-
perry or of misunderstanding like
aggression,mere denunciation or abuse,
must of necessity tend to provoke fur
ther resistance or the part oftheaSouth,
and lessen the influence the North
might otherwise have upon the great
mass of the Southern people, in relation
to this great and exciting interest,"
The true character and actual relations
of slavery in the United States, are so
predominantly civil and political, that
any attempt to treat the subject or con-
troll the question, upon purely moral
and ecclesiastical grounds, can never
exert any salutary influence South, ex-
cept in so far as the moral and eccle-
siastical shall be found strictly subor-
dinate to the civil and political. This
mode of appeal, it is believed, will me-
yer satisfy the North. The whole Nor
thern portion of the Church, speaking
through their guides and leaders, is
manifesting an increasing disposition
to form issues upon the subject, so ut
terly inconsistent with the rights and
peace of the slaveholding States, that
by how far the M. E. Church, in the
South, may contribute to the bringing
about of such state of things, or may
fail to resist it, the influence of Metho-
dism must be depressed, and the inter-
ests of the Church suffer. In addi-
ton, then, to tie fact, that we have
already received large amount of
injury, beyond that we can bear, ex-
cept under separate organization, we
have the strongest grounds of appre-
hension, that unless weplace ourselves
in a state obedience and prepare for in.
dependent action, under the distinct
jurisdiction we are now authorized by
the General Conference to resolve upon
and organize, we shall soon find our
selves so completely subjected to the
adverse views and policy Of the North
ern majority, as to be left without right
or remedy, except as mere concession
from the Church. Now, the case is
entirely different, as we propose to do
nothing, mot authorized in the General
Conference plan desperation, either ex-
pressly or by necessary implication. =
| The general view thus far taken of the
subject, is intended to show, that "the
Annual Conferencesin the slavehoIdine
States" embracing the entire Church
South, have found themselves placed
in circumstances, by the action of the
General Conference in May last, which
according to the declaration of the
Southern Delegates, at the time, render
ii impracticable to accomplish the oh.
ljects of the Christian Ministry ano
Church organization, under the pres
ent system of General Conference CON
! troll, and showing by the most clear anc
conclusive evidence that there exists
the most urgent necessity for the "sep-
arate ecclesiastical connections" con.
stitutionally provided for by the Gener.
IS al Conference upon the basis of the