Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1864-05-26
The Method ist Church and the
Country,

Country.
The relations of the Church to the
country in the present contest were patri-
o,ically set forth in the address of the
Bishops to the General Conference of the
Methodist Episcopal Church, now in session
at Philadelphia. We copy that part Of the
address:
The times in which you are assembled are
Unprecedented A mystery of iniquity,"
which was working at the date Of your last
session, and which had been working for
many years, broke forth in April, 1861, in a
gigantic, thoroughly organized, and most
defiant rebellion against the authority Of
the General Government, and the integrity
and life of the Federal Union. The COLI
sions, resulting inevitably from this unnat-
ural and wicked rebellion, have laid waste
large portions of our once fair and beauti-
ful heritage have sent tens Of thousands
to a patriots or a traitors grave, and have
filed the land with lamentation and mourn
ing. The rebellion still RACES, but, we arc
happy 10 say, with lesseniDg hopes and di.
mlnlshiDg resources.
In this great crisis of our national affairs,
it gives US pleasure to announce that the
Methodist Episcopal Church has proved
herself to be eminently loyal. Taking her
stand on the sure teachings of the New
Testament, and on cur Twenty-third Article
Of Religion, with its appended note, as the
true platform Of Christian loyalty, and ut
terly ignoring all partisan Iolitics.platforms
she has given to the Federal Government
her most decided support. Nor has this
support been confined to resolutions OF ap-
proval and sympathy, adopted by all annual
Conferences, nor to large contributions in
money, or its equivalent, for various pur-
poses connected with the war but her
members, in large numbers, and many of
her ministers, have hocked to the national
standard, and have fought side by side with
brother patriots on every battlefield Of this
dreadful war.
1t was naturally to be 'apprehened that,
in crisis of public affairs so dreadful, and
during the pcndency Of a civil war the most
gigantic and the most fearful known to his
tory, the Churches in the loyal States, and
especially the Methodist Episcopal Church,
among the most loyal Of those Churches,
| would be greatly EN- barrassed i'll their action
/ and limited in the results OF their labor
/ But We are happy to say that, however it
may have been with other Churches, this
natural foreboding has not been, to any con-
siderable extent, realized in relation TO the
Methodist Episcopal Church. On the con-
trary, she has gone forward in her Legitimate
work with little interruption, and with sur-
prising prosperity. The Annual Conference
have held all their sessions at the times,
and with two exceptions--the Missouri and
the Kentucky-at the places designated
the organization OF the districts and the
pastoral charges, with a few exceptions, on
.L 10 h. nd ,pfa
while in nearly all our leading interests
wonderful progress.
The proof of the latter part Of this state
ment is found in the statistics as published
in the General Minutes, and in the reports
of Boards of Management, and Of the
| book agents. The statistics of 1863 present
the following results Members and pro-
bationers, 923,394; travelling preachers,
6,7SS local preachers, S,156; churches,
1920 probable value, $40, $50 554 par
sonages, 1858; probable value, $2,790, $50;
amount collected for conference claimants,
S66,4l0; for Missionary Society, S399, ,073;
for Tract Society, $l2,634 for American
Bible Society, S55, ,6S5; tor Sunday School
Union, Sll ,633 Sunday Schools, l3,00S !;
officers and teachers, 1876, ,967 scholars,
1872, ,592; volumes in library 2'Soo'7Ss;
The progress of the Federal arms has
thrown open to the loyal churches of the
Union large and inviting fields of Christian
enterprise and labor. In the cultivation of
these fields it is natural and reasonable to
expect that the Methodist Episcopal Church
should occupy prominent position. She
occupied these fields once. Her network
of Conference districts and pastoral charges
spread over them all-all, indeed, both with
in and beyond the Federal lines. For nine
teen years they have been in the occupancy
of the Methodist Episcopal Church South,
to the wrongful exclusion of the NJ. E.
Church. But her days Of exclusive occu-
pancy are ended. The wall of partition is
broken down by chat very power whose
dreadful ministry was invoked TO strengthen
it. Aud now, the Methodist Episcopal
Church, it is but natural that she should
re-cnter those fields and once more realize
her unchanged title, as 'the Methodist
Episcopal Church in the United States OF
America" She ought never to have been
excluded from any portion of the territories
of the United States; she ought never to
have consented, on any ground, to such ex-
clusion. And now, that the Providence of
God has opened her way. she should not be
disobedient to her heavenly calling, but
should return at the earliest practicable
period.
But how! This is the great question. -
And while VIC defer for the full answer to
the wisdom of the General Conference, we
feel that we ought to say that she should
enter thvse fields as she enters all fields
she should enter preaching Christ, and Hin
crucifed, to all classes of people, laborins
with all her might, to bring sinners to re
pentance, and to build up believers in tina
holiness without which no man can see the
Lord, and welcoming back such ministers
and members as were cut off from her com
munion without their voluntary act Yet
II is our solemn judgments that none shoat0
be admitted to hen. .felioisshjp teho are either
shareholders, or are tainted 'cith treason.
We suggest such change IN the discip,
, lirfs as will permit the recognition OF such
members and ministers as it may be proper
, to receive into the church.
: We may add to what is here said, thai
the bishops, at their meeting in November
5 last, arranged among themselves to have thu
9 Southern territory then within the Fedora
/, lines explored, with a view Of making sucl
+ temporary arrangements az might be fount
y to he practicable for the supply of III