American Republican and Baltimore daily clipper. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1844-1846, 1846-04-03

exceedingly injurious to the slaves themselves.
We could not therefore consent to such a
rule under the circumstances in which the laws
OF the slavehodng states have placed US: and
we have 10 reason to believe that our sister
conferences entertain any purpose or design to
attiict us. On the contrary, we have the ut
most confidence in at least large majority Of
them, that they are entirely satisfied with the
Discipline as it is in this respect. But if there
were any grounds for suspicion, that such an
alteration Of our Discipline is contemplated,
may we not safely wait for its development;-
Will not the Baltimore Conference be as com
petent to take the necessary measures which
such crisis might require at any future time,
as it is now? Surely there is no occasion for a
change of our position towards any portion of
our work, nor for any of our flock to separate
themselves from us, until we shall have lost
confidence in each other, and this we hope, by
the blessing Of God, will never occur.
In taking the position above expressed, the
conference is gratifed to find, that it is sustain
ed by much the larger portion of the memorial
lists from whom communications have been re-
celved-all of them residing in the state of
Virginia; and it is confidently believed that
those memorlalists themselves whose request
the conference has been compelled to decline,
wilt, upon more mature reflection, acguiesce in
the proprety of our course.
Brethren, it is in our hearts to live and die
withyou' We have labored, and we desire still
to labor among you only for the glory of God
and the salvation of souls. Such as our COM
mission from Him who hath called us to the
work of his ministry. May we not, therefore,
humbly, yet confidently adopt the language
of the apostle and say, "Receive us, we have
wronged no man, we have corrupted no man,
we have defrauded no man. Do wo begin
to commend ourselves? Or need we, as some
others, epistles of commentator to YOU, or
letters of commentator from your Ye are
our epistles, written in our hearts, known and
read of all men, forasmuch as We are manilestly
declared to be the epstle Of Christ, ministered
by us, written, not with ink, but with the Spirit
OF the living God; not in tables of stone, but in
fleshly tables of the heart. And such trust
have we through Christ to God-ward, not that
we are sufficient of ourselves, but our sullicien-
cy is of God"
The address closes with an exhortaton TO
the members "to follow the same rule and to
mind the same things" by which the church
has heretofore prospered-and urges punctu-
al attendance to all religious duties.
Appended to the Address are the following
resolutions, also adopted by the conference.
Resolved LIST. By the Baltimore Annual Con-
ference, in Conference assembled, That we still
continue to regard ourselves a constituent part
| of the Methodist Episcopal Church in the Uni
ted States. Adopted unanimously
Resolved, I'd. That this conference diSclaims
having any fellowship with abolitionism. On
the contrary, while it is determined TO maintain
its well-know and long established position,
by keeping the travelling preachers composing
its own body free from slavery, it is also deter
mined not to hold connection with any eccesi-
astical body that shall make non-slaveholding
a condition of membership in the Church; but
to stand by, and maintain, the Discipline as it
is. Adopted unanimously.
Resolved, Sd. That the decision of this con-
ference at Its last session, non-concurring in
the proposed alteration of the sixth restriction,
was not based upon opposition in the confer
ence to fair and equitable division and distri-
button of the property and funds Of the Church,
as provided for in the "Pan ofSeparation," to
the Church South, but on other grounds alto
Aro | I