Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1862-04-24

The history OF Southern Secession In the
M. II. Church is a parallel, in almost every
essential point, to Southern Secession from
the Government of the United States.
These are some Of the points,. Slavery,
as The prime cqane. 2. The continued en-
position Of the Church, as first maintained
~ her founders and as settled in her public
faith. 3. A disposition on the part Of the
Church to withstand the tide of aggression
furnished the occasion, and was seized as
the plea for Secession. We shall not now
traverse the history--we shall submit a few
outline facts.
In the General Rules of the M. f.
Church we find the following, after the
statement that q religion really fixed in the
soul will be shown 10y it's fruits, and that
those fruits must be shown-"By doing mol
harm, by uroitliang eci7 of every hind, especi-
ally that uhich Is most generally prucfsed.'
then comes the following speciicat ION, dis
tinguished by italics among the things TO be
avoided: os't a
'7he buyiug and selling of men women
and children, Nth IN intention to ~enstave
them Up. ~, I'D. 1897 F,ga i
Agaiu--'.C Chapter VII. OF Skicey."-
"Quest. What shall be done for the ex-f
tirpation Of the evil Of slaveryp"
"Ans. i. We declare that we are asI
much as ever convinced Of the great evil
Of slavery: therefore no Shareholder shall
be eligible to any official station in our
Church hereafter, where the laws Of the
State In which he lives will admit OF cman-
cipation, and permit the liberated slave to
%enjoy freedom a,o
-. When any travelling preacher be-
comes an owner OF q slave or slaves, Wy any
means, he shall forfeit his ministerial char
acter in our Church. unless he execute, II I
be practicable, q legal emancipation Of such
J slaves. conformably to the laws OF the State
|. in which he lives" (P. 209gl e7 l-dio4
Z Farther :, Chapter TX, Rules" 8. IL
!, q member Of our Church shall be clearly
! convicted Of endeavoring to VOW discussions
:, in any OF ouf societies, by inveighing sgainst
n either our doctrines or discipline, such per-
snn SO offending shall be first reproved by
the senior, minister or preacher Of his cir
I cult, apdif he persist In such pernicious
practices, he shall be expelled from the
n Church.""g(P. 80. :
~, Now such arc the doctr'nes and aiscinline
. lof the Churcn, and Tueh the RuIe ibrthe
: treatment OF all members who 'soio disscn-
siionsAIy iinreiqhing against siiher osr doc,
q trines or dtscipine.
Do you, my Brother, inveigh ageins.
slavery, or against the slavery ''ectirpafiag'
doctrines and discipline Of your own Church?
Which, Remember, John Wesley said,
; Slavery Is the sum Of al ofNdmies," And
remember, too, your Church says, Up. 2O9.
A WededrYe that'we IRE asmaA ds euer con.
WINGED Of the great eril Of sdrov.".
And still farther remember that, upon thu
doctrine, rules and discipline Of the Church,
slavery had been steadily making encroach
ments mp to the memorable year Of 1874
when the Conference refused to Bishol
,r James O. Andrew, a STAKEHOLDER, the priv
il ilege Of exercising his office in violation o
: the Constitutional Rules Of the Church.
Bishop Andrew became a Shareholder
II He. claimed the right of holding slaves AM
in retaining his ministerial standing. Tn
n question was fairly before the Conference
l shall the discipline yield to slavery? Her
" Els the action Of the Conference, s~ustaine'
Il BY q vote Of, no against IS: "Resolcsd
ID That il Is the sense Of this General Coulter
enue thAt he dssist from tho exercise OF hi
Office as long as this impeachment remsins.
--(Journal ior, 1874, PIP. 65, 66.)
W The Conference sustained its Constitution
al law-its Discipline. Did slavery yield
DO Hos did il act when a slight cheek to il
nv ~insoient and aggressive demands was II
!, terposed by the action Of the Conference
y sustaining its own law? Was the Churc
bound to compromises her laws ct every sut
,athe Pope Of the Church, to make and ur
make canons ut pleasure? That it claim
20 itself to be the higher Law, the followin
extract will show 49,
''The Southern delegates, finding that
slight cheek was about TO be put upon slaN
. cry, so far as the Episcopacy was concerned
OF first protested, then got q plan Of separ'
o. ton adopted, and finally went homo an
b, seeded, taking with them most Of III
membership in the slaveholding States. ]
due time they sued the Book Agents, an
pro starery Judges gave them a large shar
'of the Church property and they mo-
to constitute the ME-. Church South and al
breeding, buying, selling, and whippin
. negroes to their hearts content, havin
on stripped every thing out Of the Disciplir
or that would even forbid their BISHOPS faol
Ter going into the African slave trade. His
The action referred to in the last clause
'ur this extract was taken May 10th, 1858,
ID the fourth General Conference Of the \
ry, Il. Church, South" held Nashville, Tenn
of and is as follows
~ "WHEREAs, The rule in the Gener
~ Rules of the NJ. Il. Church, South, forbi'
III ding the buying aud selling Of men, womt
aud children, with an intention TO .ensla'
~ them, is ambiguous in It's phra:eolopy, ~
an liable to demonstrated as~ antagonistic to sla
'as ery, in regard TO which the Church has
OF rightlto NEEDLE, except in enforcing 81
Yer duties al. masters aud servants, as set for
,,ur In the Holy Scriptures and wherpas,
20, strong desire for the expupction of %
'en rulo has been expressed in nearly all par
snt 20 our aocles,asffcal oopuoeli0p : Therefor