Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1860-05-18
Methodist Gensra conference.

Methodist Genera conference.
From the proceedingsohe General Con-
ference Of the NJ. e. Chh, on the 18th. b
now in session at BufallN. Y, we take Il
the following: n
| The report on the sary question has {
been agreed upon. and il said they will {.
report the following gend rule: :
Q.-What shall be do for the extirpa- J
ton of the evil of slavery
Ave declare that ,are as much as {
ever convinced of the grsevil Of slavery, q
and we believe that the hing. selling, or +,
holding of human beings chattels is con-
trary to the laws of God nature, incon- .
sistent with the Golden Re, and with that y
rale in our discipline wLicn lsqiuneg who s
desire to continue among us to ..do no harm
and to "avoid evil of every kind" We
therefore afectionately a1monish all our
preachers and people to keep themselves
pure from this great evil, and to seek its
extirpation by all lawful and christian
means.
This report is said to have received the
sanction of thirty out Of forty-seven mem-
bers of the committee.
1t is much to be regretted that any eccle-
siastical body has so far departed from the le-
gitimate sphere of its legislation, as to in
trude itself into the political arena, and thus
sectionalike and damage great moral and
religious enterprise. The Methodist Dis
cipline assumes postulate which, in cur
belief, is erroneous in ethics and uuconsti-
tutional in theory, when it brands slavery
as an erH, and intimates that it can be eek
tirpated," in propoundiRg the question,
what shall be dons for the extirpation of
the evil of slavery ~ That slavery is purely
e political question is sufficiently attested by
the early legislation Of the country, aud its
recognition as such IN the Federal Consti-
tuition itself. The separation of Church
from State was cardinal consideration with
the founders and expounders Of our system
of government, and any legislation, either
ecclesiastical or political, whose tendency is
to fuse these two separate and distinct fea-
lures Of our free Institutions, is clearly a
CONFIRMATION of the whole scope and spirit
of our governmental organization. We
think the denunciatory spirit Of the Metho-
dist Discipline, in pronouncing SLAYER, IN
'eut1,' is clear departure from the appoi@-.s-
ed province of the church, and destructive Of
the great moral end contemplated in the
christian dispensatien. Solong as this dec
laration remains unrescinded, tho religious
sect that subscribes to It must necessarily
be subjected to suspicious and criticisms in
Southern communities, inasnueL as it is an
offensive assumption contradicted by the A
postles themselves, and belied by the usage
and history of the country ever since its
first settlement at jamestown.
The true policy of the Methodist Church,
as we conceive, is to erase this offensive
clause in their Discipline, and instead Of
declaring slavery to be an "evil' calling
for 'extirpation," substitute the browning
doctrine and philosophy Of all orthodox
creeds, that Christ died for the salvation d
sinners, and that the application of his blood
is sufficiently ehicacious to 'extirpate" al
eus2s from the human heart, and eplighter
the human understanding both to discern
and correct the ,.evils" to which flesh il
heir. Instead of a crusade against the IN
stitution Of slavery, let there be siege Q
the kingdom Of Satan and an honest effor
to propagate the great truths of the Bible
instead Of sowing broad cast the seeds Q
dissension, heart burnings, Jealousy, anti
Christ, and the doctrine Of abolition fanati
cism.