, 1859-10-15
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AE1rartHc TER N. E.
CHURCH
Isc nc1t Session oi the 1eae'ai eon't1cnee
o. the Ae'ood'st Ep'se'pn e.'''fcn ".14 w S,e4a
IN Nay lsse. 1l1e aet'oo o. socl' " 'oe an'
naa con1e'eaSes ~ "uts ls'a tnea Sessoos
1os Tue current year " cs'1a'n sao!ec'S' 4no
Tue d,scusslons no" II progress IN tne ofeuas
Of theChurch, render IT certain shas >ae sesaon
q tue hFstnamed BODY "aA oe' one Of more
than usual interest " reason ot the questions
Tint viii come before It Foremost among
these N importance md Interest ia the qaes-
ton Of slavery. In the earlier history o.
Acshodsm IN th's country its entire moral and
administrative influence was brought 70 pear
against tae lnstatnton. Ihe clergy spoke cse.
ry"here' against It, and tue Official act'on o.
the church vas, iudic!ously get uniformly and
firmly repressiro elnreholding, On tho part
Of the membership, was discopntenanced,
even when attended By circumstances
which seemed 70 rescue 1t fFom the
grosser traces Of moral turp'tude, while
in al ordinary cases it was made sub
3ect of prompt disciplinary nci'on- suhse-
4usntl5, however: the Methodist Church par
took Of tue general decline IN moral sentiment
on this subject the tons Of its clergy upon
i The sum OF all Talainies" =" was sens'oly
lowered. while the administration Of discipline
with reference to it was almost entirely ne
elected Not only was slaveholdlng by the
1alty ~1nked st but It became quite common
IN elRrcho'd.ns States among the Official mem"
beFs Of The Church Now and tnen minister
BECAME involved IN it. and finally It invaded
mo ranks oi The Eplscopacy: In January
1884, James y. ANDREW one ol Tue blsaops o'
tha Methodist Episcopal Church, mnrf'ed q
widow Lady Who ~as the owner OF slaves ana
which he subsequently secured to hes W q
deed u rnst 1n1s brought mo 1na'tef 70
c4as's' "nat nae oeeh 'o1e3a1eo IN ene 1astF
end, N some instances IN tue c'efg5 also'
'sou'o nor . to'eta'eo IN Inc Ep'seopae5' un'
Less 'noees', eao ~nu'e'l was p'epaFeo 10 r.
se.se ~ o''saaa1 poneS' aoo 'u'o" 4lS en'p'
1nnnence ~ lAe seale IN 'aVor o. sla'e'y.
1ne suo3ees WIS aEoue't up ~ 'he oene'*n
ooo'eteuce o io*e' o''nop .anofc" ''onns'eu
Enc lac's as ena'geo' anu at1ef l'Fossle'eu
aao neatea discussion! Tue oonle3ence' Ds
Vote Of 14o 10 ~ resolved 1na1 ne lnlslop ~
should dcs1st from tho exercise Of his once
Inc aaopaon ol t.as fcsoouon leo 10 tne "a
NOUS secession q "nien neafly an o1 'ne
slo'eholo'pe conferences "'lhorew ifoin 'nsaf
oonnecnoo' ano o'ganizca 'nemse'ses n1o an
inoePenoen' ooos, unaer Inc et5le ol tne Aetn'
oa'st episcopal chuFch south 1ns result
was oo"o1'css p'eepltateu os tne ac''on o1 Tue
General Conference at lts same session Ii
>. sustaining, on m appeal case. the Baltimore
Conferences ''r harin 8 sfenced one of its mem
berg Rev +. = Harding for an offence Similar
to the Blshop'z The following conferences,
embracing a&aye territory, however, did not
sacede, VIZ: Baltimore. East Baltimore, Phla-
de'phia, and Western Virginia; and the fol-
lowing hive since been organized, VIZ: Ken"
: tucky, Missouri, and Arkansas latter in
: Guiding Texas.
r,on this date f,844, rnti, fin last sasaion
Of the General Conference held 1T 1odinanoli.
in May 1856, that body has not been seriously
disturbed bv ,be s,,xcrr onost;oo Rat IN t,,o
interim both tho c,errr md thn ,a;tv we,f ,raf,.
.ua,ly appsoxiua,ip4 the sentiment entertained
on this subject by ths founders Of Metboaism,
In tue General Conference Of 1856. PROPOSE
ton to make non.slavcho1d;nc n test of Mem.
bc.slin, WIS wa,melv advocated md
,.-;aa .- 5,,:aoa ,.a;,.;+n H.. 49,. J.. !.
two.1birds vote. Br TIM constitution If
the Church n fIanco in ;te ru1cs con on1v ,,e
maae upon tie Recommendation of tbroe-fourtbs
Of al tie members of the Annual Conferences
and Lie suhsequept indorsemeut by vote Of
; two-thirds Of the General Conference or yio.
pe,sa, Under this prorisionthe measure failed,
but the friends Of the proposition have since
been delpont in its advocacy among tle
churches, and the effort il 10 be renewed al