The New era. [volume] ([Portsmouth, Va.]) 1845-1847, 1846-08-20
For the New Era.
AocoMAox County, Angus, Is. 1916

ing notice. in order To correct some of the errone
Gus views given by the writer. refer to the ar
ticle dated Accomack. July 81. and signed w
which appears intended tn arouse the indiuna-
ZION of the public mind. of Accumack County
against the ministers and members belonging To the
Philadelphia Conference, of the NJ. f. Church
Inc writer is in error when he says, that Ac-
S"hack, according To the plan Of srpara lion, he
longs To The Southern Church. IL does not. aud
cannot until the majority of the members of the
W. n Church, by their votes. declare that they
wish To he transferred To their jurisdiction when
'na' 'akes place. then the ministers of the Phila-
depha Conference will at once retire from Acro.
mack county, but until then, they, as shepherJs
OF "od,s flock. cannot leave their charges their
sacred honor tn their people, and their fidelity Ia
'he'' Um, are involved IN this matter {; and surely
no enlgh'ened lnhabliant Of Accomack would de
sire, (much less try to force) them to viols,e eli
'''e'' w. is In error again, when he demands
soch decision as will effect the expulsion from
our midst. of ministers whose conduc, tend 10
generate spirit of incendiarsm and insnrreciiun
Does he desire mob violence tu he used the Con
su'utlons 0f the State, and of the United States
| violated. and the high character of Accomack
county to be thus forever furnished? If so he
Is IN error, for whatever object might be attained
by such course, the benefit would not balance
the injury inflicted the character of the county
but he says, their conduct tends To oenerate n
M
rs the proof of this matter? If w has snch
proof, and he ought not have written as he has
without it, ynn have tribunal of Justice, with
Strict, but good aud Wholesome laws on the sub
Iect let these men be arragned there and if found
guilty let them he visited with the punishment
which such conduct would richly merit. But
w. should bear in mind that for scores of wears
these ministers. whom he calls generators OF in
cendiarism and insurrectnn, have been Iaborino
81 =. N
time no case of tncendiarism or insurrection. has
ever occurred: but in other parts of Virginia. diff
hcnltles of this kind have heen realized which
cannot be attributed to the influence of the minis
tiers of the Philadelphia Conference let the pub
lie calmly view these facts. and then they will
be better able to decide from the history of the
past. where there is the most danger of ncendi-
arlsm and insurrection.
w. says: these ministers must tell their con
gregntions. that slave huldinp and vital religioo
are Incompatible. Here he is in error aoain far
these ministers do not believe and therefore will
not teach, any such doc rine IF they believed
TINS they would reject all slave holders from
their commnnion; but w. cannot produce sinole
instance, where any man has heen refused admis-
sion into the Church expelled from il. because
he was slave holder On the contrary. these
ministers have and hundreds of slave hol
ders IN their churches, whom they consider as
deeply plons as any others. and that their views
on THIS subject are unchanged, they gave suffi-
crni evidence at their last Conferences, by nnon
imo"sfy adopting the following resolution.
% Resoired. That this Conference will resist
every effort To alter the terms of membership nm
the subject of slavery
w. says, to the slaves they must saw Free
dom is their right and their first duty is to Obtain
IT. at all hazards. Here he is in error again-no
preacher IN the Conference would be tolerated by
their brethren, whn would thus try to excite The
slave population. If such were known. he " onld
at once, he suspended or expelled as any effort TO
excite insurreciion would be considered a crime
against God. w. says he was informed that Ac |
c"mack was in the Louisville Convention repre-
scented. This information is not correct. That
Convention was composed Of preachers as dele |
gates from the different Conferences hut no dele
gate was sent from the Philadelphia Conference |
To which Accomack and Northampton Circuits
belong. w. said the terms agreed upon at the
Louisville Convention placed Acco,nack under |
the control of the Southern section of the M. f.. |
Chnrch. " this were so, why have not the bish |
ops ct the Southern Church appointed ministers |
for Accomack ? WoulG they he so forqeifnl If a |
part OF their territory belonging To them? Bu,
me truth Is, the ministers and bishops of the MI |
r.. Church, South, understand this matter much |
better than W.. and hence, thew have not sent |
ministers to Accomack, knowing that the views
given by w. concerning their right according To |
Inc plan ot separation, has no frmer foundation as
yet. than the fruitful Imagination of w and |
that pntil the churches of Accomack, by ma |
JorIy Of their members, declare their adhesion To
the church, South. the ministers of the PhilaGel
phIa Conference are in Law and Eonity both |
civil and ecclesiastical. the rightful pastors Of the
M. f.. Church in Accomacl County, and NAV
not be expelled even by the mob which w seems |
DESTROYS of arming against them.
w. refers to The opposition To slavery in the |
mi CT ,.l, 4
On this subject. we understand the church. and |
The world. only toleratlng slavery, where cir !
cnmsianres impose it necessarily on a community, |
or on individuals Now, whatever necessity |
there may be for the planter. others engaged in
secular pursuits, To hold slaves i'm order to carry
"n their business. we cannot for a moment conceive
that minister o: Christ needs these appendages to
enable him To fulfil his ministerial duties and as |
the church provides for his support durnp life. |
we cannot think he needs them 10 support him |
hence, We object To slavery in the ilnerant minis
Try. where the laws will admit Of their emancipa |
lion but with our membership the case is differ |
est. AfieT all, is IL not too manifest that the |
objections OF w are not SD much AGAINST The
Philadelphia Conference, as against Methndism
IN any shape. and under any form or government
for IL is well known. that the church. south have
adapted the same discipline " hlch governs The
Methodist Episcopal Church, without havinu
altered or expnnged any of The regulations or
declarations contained in it concerning slavery
The vivid picture which w. draws of midniybl
massacres and burDngs. the husband seeing a
beloved wife welIering in her blond. Witnessing
The polntion Of lively daughter, hearing The
dying sbrieks Of his children; himself receiving
immediate death from the hands of his nfurated
slaves; villages and farm houses reduced to ashes
churches converted into the baunts Of murdeters
and robbers friends and relations barba ronsly des
lr"yed. and nhumanly thrown into he fields, as ,
NJ ca rrIon TOR dogs. This picture is too garng y,
Tor The vision Of the good people Of Accomack, :
ana II will require much effnrt on the part Of w.
and his conductors to make them believe that the