The Abbeville banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1847-1869, 1859-09-08
Far III" EuHacr
MIR. McSWhINS SERMON ON METHODIsM |

Ma. Enir"r: At the Camp Meetings hcld at
tn"n and Smyrna. the Presiding Elder, Rev.
w. \. McSwain, delivered Il discourse on the
doctrines AMI government of the Methodist
church. No reasonable christian, of course,
could question for Il moment the right and pro
pri"iy OF s:l"h Il discourse Such is not my in,
ton; nor am l actratcd by tn. least unkinL-
ncSe un1ha .itablcncss towards my Methodist
brethren IN the following reply TO certain stric-
tnrts upon the Episcopal church, which then
escaped the Reverend Preacher claim only
the privilege of supplying few additional facts
to his statements then made.
And first, the Presiding Elder made and re-
pcatcd the assertion that the Episcopal church
very much regretted the secession of the Meth
odsts from their body. If he inchdcd to say
that We regret this any other division Of the
church and body of Christ, any rcnding of the
seamless robe of IIisrcligion, then hcis right-wc
arc sorry; and it would be very easy to show
that John Wesley himself would have been as
much SO. The Presiding Elder cannot be igno-
rant of his recorded sentiments on this subject.
Hear his Language 40 the rr achcrs Of his So
cicty in l7II-" cxhoricd then: to keep TO the
church, observing that tbs or I'ccuiiar yIpry
not to form any new sect, but abiding in or
o~n church to do all men all the good we possibly
could Precisely the position to which We
always believed that John Wesley had been cleo
ted by Divine Providcncc--raScd up to nfusc
life and spirit into the English church, then uli-
der admitted dcclcnsion. And the Mchodists OF
that day fully understood and appreciated their
noble mission. They resolved, without one dis
scn,ing voice
at is by no means cxpclicnt that the Mctho-
dists should leave the church of England. They
that leave the church leave us"
This sentiment stands among the first rules OF
their society, and Wesley declared that they
adopted it "not as point of prudence, but rs a
point of conscience" And when did John Wcs-
ley ever abandon this position? Did he not
hold it in 1880, two years before his death =
"I declare once more that live and die II mem
bcr of the church Of England, and that none
who regard my judgment or advice will ever
separate from it," His followers did not regard
his advice, AMI God raised up others to do their
work, i'll and through the church of England
a church which is now leading the van in the
cyamgclization Of the world. 1t is idle TO urge
persecution as an all-suflicicnt reason for scpa
ration. When did any true Rcformcr ever es
cape persecution? 1t is one Of the necessities
Of vital christianity Wesley bore it bravcly
If every prosecuted christian felt himself JUST
iic'l in abandoning his God-appointcd field Of
labor and conflict. the Devil would very soor
clear the field, for persecution has always beer
his favoric weapon.
We do. thCrrfrp for Tho ,1opo oYF,,r r,Fo
body Of christians from work 50 llainy
marked out by Providence for them. We do regret
that churches which have so much in common
sloulIbc scraratcdatall; that brcthrcni in Chris
whose hearts are warmed AMI whose lives are
directed ny the same holy and Protestant truths
should fail, for any subordinate reason, to SEE
''cye to cyc," and live in unity and Goly love
In such regret all who love the Lord Jcsu.
Christ in sincerity will surely join u.s. But i
II DC insintlatcd that our sorrow is that of cha
grin or modification at our loss, or as an cx
preston of fear or weakness, 7 must leg to cor
rect the Reverend Preacher, and require him tt
prove that he represents the Episcopal church
Ellsc"pacy Is vastly stronger now than whcl
the followers of Wesley seeded. The old pco
pie at home haze been doing pretty we'll They
arc really no doubt by this time to settle OF
some iaorc of their children.
am not an apOlOgist for the church of Eng
land. There is much in her poliiy and polio,
that as an American Episcopalian l might oh
jcct to. But then l do not look for pcrfcc
church upon earth. And let us be just-was il
not Methodist d. u. who n few years since, il
his own pulpit in Liverpool confessed tha
"wth all her defects the English church con
taincd as much sound Protestant religion in il
as the rest Of christcndom besides" But thu
Mcthot!ists over the water arc nearer home, ant
therefore better informed MS TO the working ant
prosperity Of the old mother church; and per
haps they obey that Apostolic injunction NOR,
closely, and ''look not only OH their own things
but also OIL the things Of Others" The Prcsi
ding Elder must know that Mcthotlism in Eng
land differs widely from American Methodisn
still. Has it ever accepted Coke and Asbury's
Episcopacy? Wesley certainly never did, ant
they are with him in this matter. How stronsl,
hc protested against this in his famous letter tc
Asbury: "IIow can you-how dare you suffc,
yourself to be elected bishop! ] start at tht
very thought. For my sake for Gods sake, fol
Christ 5 sake put an end to this"
John Wesley would never have endorsed th,
sentiment uttered by the Presiding Elder a
Smyrna: eyes, VIC have come out Of the Epis
copal church, and have been going off, Off of
from it, and will continue to go off," Why, Mr.
Editor, it strikes me this sounds very much likt
n runaway daughter justifying her clopemcn
by abusing the old folks at home. Well, i
may be natural but certainly not very gracious
This "going off" is all very easy work
the only difficulty is to stop ourselves when w
may want to do so. What, for instance, bccam,
of that large body of protestant Mcthodists'
who went off in 1880, not from the Episcopal
bit Tho Methodist church, becansc their lait,
were not represented in conference? And tha
other division Of the "Truc Wesleyan Metho
dists," who left in 1917, and wlro (as their name
imports) arc seeking to get back nearer to Yves
Ioy iI,o AZ,