The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1860-12-07
con VENTION or L1YNEN OF THE
BALTIMORE 1ND EAST BALTIMORE
CONFER ENCES OF THE MhTHODLST
EPISCOPAL CHURCH.


CONFERENCES OF THE MhTHODLST
EPISCOPAL CHURCH.
SECOND DAY.
The proceedings were opened by religious ser
vices, Rev. Alpheus Wilson officiating.
The minutes of the first days proceedings were
read by the Secretary and approved
The Chair announced that the first business in
order would be the reports of committees
Mr. William G. Young, Chairman of the Com
mittee on Rules, presented report, which was dis
cussed and amended.
One of the rules adopted provides that no mem
Der shall speak more than once upon the same
subject unless by special permission of the body
and Tor period not longer than twenty minutes
\ member OF the Business Committee reported
that they were not prepared to report at present
The Chair then suggested adjournment as
there was no business before the BODY and accord
ingly, on motion, the Convention adjourned untii
o'clock, =. NJ.
AFTERNOON SECESSION.
Inc Convention was called to order by the Pres-
dent at three o'clock, the religious services being
conducted by the Rev. Maybury Goheen.
Mr.. W. Cessill, of Mont tgomery, moved a call Of
the house, and one hundred and eighteen members
were reported by the Secretaries rs being present
The report Of the Business Committee being in
order, the Chairman, the Hon. j. Armistead Garter
announced that they were ready to report and
moved that the Hon. Hugh L. Bond proceed to read
the report, which being agreed to, that gentleman
port and resolutions
MAJORITY REPORT
To the Baltimore AnalaL Conference at Stanton As
ScmJIed Fathers and Brethref-Ata convention of thc
laity representing large majority of circuits and sta
tons within the bounds of your Conference held on the
fifth day of December 1860 to take into considaratin
the state of the church within the territory of the Confer
ence the difficulties which meet and calamities which
threaten us ereduy considered and the convention
solved to express you by memorial their conclusions
respecting the present condition of the church in Mary
land, Virginia and the District Of Columbia
Thpf tpl,ip ha1i
ton was peace An ardent wish pervaded the whole
vention to free preachers from obligation of per
petualy defending church policy respecting slavery
and to leave them at liberty preach Gospel which
they called For long of years from lSl4
the date of the unfortunate great division the church
u now tour Conference by that legislation having been
rendered border Conference have had over large
portion of our territory ncessant brethren
OF the southern Conference, and others, the subject of
discipline respecting slavery. Like all contests touching
ecclesiastical matters the controversy has been
ed with much warmth and berness-our preachers con
stauy on the defensive required to defend the action of
our General Conference that subject have been tram
melled in the preaching of the Gospel until at last all
hope of any material increase of membership has been
abandoned. Our preachers and aity have been happy
indeed if they have been able to maintain the church as
she is without expecting to increase strength bv any
important addition to her membership
At this uncure assembled the late General Conference
body which little understood and seemingly little cared
for the interests and condition of our church in the
bounds of your Conference and which instead of ame
Grating condition, has rendered it infinitely worse by
substituting entirely chapter the subject Of
slaveholdug making non slaveholdng test of member
dorse submit it.
to preach the Gospel and that many the people
within the bounds of Conference is possible is
useless to state to you for your body
aef tne h'essht enors you nave made under the late
discipline, you have lost in the Baltimore Annual Con
ference territory and population represented by some
twenyone circuits and stations appointments in the Me
thodist Episcopal Church. South-wth the new chapter
slavery you utterly precuded in the whole slave
holding territory of the Conference from preaching with
any success because the people will willingly listen
to placed under solemn obligations maintain and
administer church discipline contrary to the sentiments
OF our people and even obnoxious to civil censure
Along the whole border you brought face to face
with the preachers brethren the Methodist Enis
copal Church South, and the only substantial difference
existing between you in point of church ceremony
minds of the masses the only for your antagon
tic relation to that church your implied obligation nm
der the discipline TO incucae doctrine that subject
which constitutes the distinction between church and
that
Your silence upon the chapter, your varied explana
tions Of it, and your reputation of it, avail nothing
The hearts OF the people are closed to you The church is
in perpetual agitation All church enterprise is retard
ed The building Of churches and parsonages has almost
entirely ceased and Missionary collections called for
in vain. The pulpit in great measure to address
the very existence of the church itself 1t was more than
the church could do prior the late General Conference
TO maintain herself among us-with the new chapter on
slavery, it was impossible.
Under these circumstances, dear brethren look to
you to provide some measure of and quiet to
denomination here, which shall preserve unity.
Sixteen years Of perpetual strife have passed. and our
people refuse longer with If quiet not re-
stored preachers be allowed as we know YOU de-
sire to be- to preach Gospel not Of contention but
peace.
the opinion of this Convention YOUR connection with
and bitter controversy, which in disast Gus
consequences. From that connection YOU derive no
strength support Every periodical published by our
Church is imbued with controversy this subject
of them indeed would be penal to circulate in Mary
land and Virginia.
No good be given the maintenance the
connection, which of opinion is desired by
OF Northern thorn III,
terms which would prove ruin.
The Baltimore Conference had, by unanimous vote
again and again assured people in the midst strife
engendered by this agitation that they would hold
connection with any ecclesiastical body which made non
saveholdlng test of membership. The people
mand fu!fment of your pledges.
We do not pretend to conceal that whatever course You
may take to allay the strife and excitement among
will be involved in difficulty. 1t certain that un
less distinctly understood by people, your
present session. that you acknowledge connection with
authority the late General Conference and refuse to
administer the discipline it made, Church in Virginia
and much of Maryland is gone forever.
After due deberatiOn, therefore, have determined
to ask our preachers of the Baltimore Conference that
for the sake of quiet in borders for the sake of the
preaching of the Gospel that it may find ready entrance
for the endings Of controversy and promote
the best interests Of Methodsm and religion they re
deem the pledges time after time to our peope and
sunder connection now merely nominal, which is full of
strife and positively death to all hopes peace or the ad
vancement of Christianity in our midst
Having settled the question of dissolution church
connection do not deem it necessary do desire
to point out the specific mode of subsequent Conference
action to the form character of future organza
ton We have discussed the wellknown state of the
church, suggested the of relief only desire to
add, that whatever mode you may adopt for its
plishment, you may confidently expect the hearty sup
port of the aity OF the Conference.
We desire to submit to the Conference the opinion of the
Convention specifically embodied in the following
resolutions:
Resolred That the Baltimore Annual Conference should
at its next session declare that by its recent unconstu
ona and violent action the Buffalo General Conference
has sundered the ecclesiastical connexon which has hh
ero held together church. and that the Balti
under
its jurisdiction submit to its AUTHORITY or those repre-
senting that authority.
ffeSotced That the Baltimore Annual Conference should
also assert and claim that the said General Conference
has by Its said action separated the several Annual Con
ferenees represented therein and concurng in said action
from the Baltimore and other concurng Conferences
and that the Baltimore and other Confer
constitute the Methodist Episcopal Church proper
and may exercise all the rights duties powers apper
taning properly, to their position as Methodists.
Resolved That the position shall occupy such
action has been indicated has been takenwhether