The daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1848-1851, 1851-11-22

their power; and took immediate steps to obtain
the necessary authority 10 perfectit 1t.
The division of the property was not an element
that entered into the considerations Of the South
ern delegates to declare for separate organization
They related TO different subject, and one OF
much mnre iranscendent interest 10 the churches
North and South, and which, during the present
session, had threatened to rend this vast and
heretofore compact body Of Christians in pieces.
The agitation growing out Of it had reached the
highes, authorities the Church, and had brought
in conflict it's chief nnctionaries, and abest men,
bers, and in respect 10 which opinions were enter
tanned and expressed, deep and irreconciIeable.
La the Judgement of large portion of the body
separation was the only alternative to preserve the
future Christian fellowship and usefulness of the
church. The division Of the property was but q
consequence ofseparaton, subordinate, and of com
parative insignifcance. -F
Instead of the decision of the church depending
upon The division Of the common properly, the very
reverse lie the result of the true construction Of the
plan of separation.
IL.-As to the power Of the General Conference to
authorize separation Of the church organization.
The Methodist Episcopal Church of the United
States was established, in its government, doctrine
and discipline, by General Conference of the
travelling preachers in this communion in 1784.
Down to that time the Methodist societies in Amer.
lea had been governed by John Wesley, the founder
of this denomination OF Christians, through the
agency of his assistants. During this year, the en-
tire government was taken into the hands OF the
travelling preachers with his appreciation and assent
They organized it, established it's doctrines and
discipline, appointed the several authorties-su-
perintsndens, or bishops, ministers, and preachers
Ito administer it's polity, and promugate its doc
trines and teachings throughout the land. From
that time 10 this, the source and fountain of all its
temporal power are the travelling preachers in this
connection in General Conference assembled The
lay members Of the church have no part or con-
nection with its governmental organization, and
never had. The travelling preachers comprise the
embodiment of its power, ecc esastical and tenn
poral !; and, when assembled in General Confer
ence, according TO the usages and discipline of the
church, represent Themselves and have no consti-
tuents and thus the organization continued until
the year ]608 when modification took place.
At the General Conference Of that year, CON-
posed OF all the travelling preachers, it resolved
to have thereafter delegated Conference, to be
composed Of one for every five members of each
Annual Conference These Annual Conferences
are composed exclusively Of travelling preachers
The ratio OF representation has been altered, from
time to time, SO that in 1874, the Annual Confer
ences were represented by one delegate for every
twenty one members.
The reason for the change to a delegated body,
instead Of the assemblage Of the entire body Of
travelling preachers, was the great enlargement of
the boundaries of the Church, which had expanded
with the settlements of The country; the conse-
quent multiplication Of the number Of travelling
preachers-the distance and expense of travel
and the deprivation of the field Of their labors, for
100 iong period, OF the christian ordinances and
religious instruction.
The General Conference Of 1908, which deter.
mined in favor Of a delegated body for the future
imposed upon the powers Of this body certain limi.
tations, which, in the language Of the proceeding,
of the church, called restrictive articles, six
| number. 1t is declared, that the General Confer
ence shall have full powers to make rules and reg
ulations for the church, under the following limita
| tions and restrictions:
l. They shall not alter or change the articles o
religion, nor establish any new standards of doc
trine.
2. They shall not allow of more than one rep
| resentatve for every fourteen members Of th
| Annual Conference, nor less than one for ever,
| thirty.
3. They shall not alter the government SO as t,
| do away with episcopacies, or destroy the plan o
| itinerant superintendences
4. They shall not change the general rules of tn,
| united societies.
S. They shall not deprive the ministers or preach
| ers OF trial by committee, and of an appeal MOI
the members of trial before the society or Law com
| mitee, and appeal
| g. They shall not appropriate the produce of the
Book Concern, nor Of the Charter Fund, to any
purpose other than for the benefit of the travelling
| supernumerary, superannua'ed, and worn ou
preachers, their wives, widows and children; pro-
| vidtd that, upon the concurrent recommendation o.
three-fourths Of all the members of tn. General
| Annual Conference present. and voting, majority
of two-thirds Of the General Conference, succeed
ing shall suffice to alter any of the above restric
| tons, except the first article
These comprise all the limitations upon tha
body when assembled by delegates
That the General Conference composed of the
| entire body of travelling preachers and who estab
lished the government doctrines, and discipline o
the church, possessed the power to reconstruct ant
| reorganize its government, ecclesiastical and tenn
| poral, into two or more separate and distinct or
/ ganizatons, is question, about which, we think
| no serious doubt can be well entertained
These travelling preachers represented the sove
| reign power of the government, and were RESPONSE
BILE to no earthly tribunal for the mode and manne
OF Its exercise. They were entirely free exercis,
their own sense and judgment to what was th,
best pollty and organization of the church, to &C
complish the great object and design of the natter
in whose service they were engaged, and which
wsre in the language of their own discipline. :" t
reform the continent, and to spread scrptural holi
ness over these lands" As they might have con
sructed any number of separate and distinct or
ganizatons in their first fra,erna association an,
effort in the fulllment Of this mission, accordingly
as it might seem to them best, so was it equally ii
their power at any subsequent period of their apors
The power remained unchanged.
The only argument urged against this view is tn
unity of the first organization of the church in 1884
which, as supposed, evinced design that it shoul
be co-exiensive with the territorial limits of til
United States, neither more nor less ; and to rema
and continue united church within these limit
in the exercise of its jurisdiction spiritual and TEN
| poral, and further, that if power exists in an
General Conference 10 break up this organization
and poity OF the church as originally designed an
established, it belongs to an extraordinary Genera
Conference assembled especially for the purpose
and not to one assembled in the ordinary way 70
the discharge of its mere administrative duties, a
the chief legislative body of the church and tn
history, ecclesiastical judicntores, practice an
usages of the church from its origin, were ably an
| extensively reviewed and examined, on the arpu
gument, for the purpose of sustaining those sewers
| POSITIONS
| But The obvious answer to them is, that the al
gument overlooks the source and fountain of IN
power belonging to the General Con- ference w
must look to these, and not to the mere exercise
power In the administration of the government
when seeking TO measure its depth and exten
Where is the limit! and who has prescribed il,
The travelling preachers, assembled in Gener;
Conference, embody, in themselves, the soveree
power and we have nowhere seen their consel
to any limitation or restriction, till We come down
in the history OF their administration-to the Cor
ference OF 1908.
We must have some evidence that thew hay
parted with portion of their sovereign power tn,
confessedly belonged to them at the first organzs
tiOn, since that periods and, that they assemble
in the subsequent conferences, subject to The dis,
biiy, before their powers be distinguished fro
t those originally possessed. We have not been n
ferred to any such evidence, nor have our own n
q searches discovered any, nor do we believe theI
, are any recorded acts declarations of this bod
: to the effect claimed. When jurisdiction and al
# thority, spiritual and temporal, in each Gener
v Conference from that of 1884 down TO 1908 incl,
!. sive, were the same, unlimited and unrestricte
s possessed all the power which since the latter p
4 riOd has belonged to the General and Annual Coz
| foro .,pt,r tk,o mis- .,