Brownlow's Knoxville Whig, and rebel ventilator. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1863-1866, 1864-02-27
Methodist Church South.

In November, 1862, the editor Of this pa
per delivered speech in the McKcndree
Methodist Church, in Nashville, to IN i'm
mcnsc audience Of citizens and soldiers
the concluding portion of which relates to
the affairs Of the ChUrch, and is as follows
But now como to the religions I-''o" oil my SUD
iect. and wish tosay at tho outset, that if seem
TO Use harsh language ! do so after the most mature
dcliberaton, and with personal knowledge of the
matters which shall mention And here declare
that the worst class of men, SO help me God on
Southern soil, are the Methodist Baptist Prcsbyte-
ran and EpscopalMn preachers. They are unmiti-
gated scouudres Some noble exceptions exist, but
a body, they are corrupt trcachcrous and VILE
Last month the Methodist Church, of which ! have
been member thirty-lye years, held Conference
in Athens, which was presided over by Il hoary-
headed old man, Bishop Early With one sweeping
resolution, they expelled from the MINISTRY all the
Union preachers Of the loston Conference know
these Union preachers we'll and they are men of
piety and talents. One of these is I'm old man who
has been preacher for forty years and was Major
under Andrew jackson at the battle Of Horseshoe
at New Orleans and at Mobile. This old traitor
Bishop Early, also issued an order to the Presiding
Elders to eXpel all loyal local preachers within the
Conference. This order includes myself who have
been local preacher in that Conference | am
going back, and intend to call Conference of the
local preachers and we will cxpel the last devil of
these rebel priests We will put these secedrrs and
rebels out and recover the church property which
rghtlully belongs to us and not to the traitors. This
Methodist Book Concern in your city, which has
published much treason is not the property of the
rebels, it belongs to the loyal Methodists and we
mean to have it back Here is a copy of the church
Discipline, and it most 1sitively cnions upon all
our preachers obedience to the laws and constituted
authorities of the land. \ transgrcsson of this in
junction makes the offender liable to expulsion from
the church. When the Elders are ordained they are
brought around the altar-you have seen the ordi-
nations here frequently for all the Elders were
dained here as this was an arstocratic congregation
II bon ton, uppcr-tcndom church-and there in the
presence of Gg. and the congregation, the Bishop
lays his hands Upon their heads and .wears them to
oppose all di,oyal doctrines. Thus these rebel
preachers are perjurcd fouly basely, wickedy per-
jured. Early when he was ordained Bishop. took
an oath to promote peace and harmony, law and
order. ] heard him swear the lie myself in Column
bus, Georgia. Parson SUwrie who knows him we'll
in some private transactions says that Early is
mserably corrupt old creature Let US believe these
rebels always when they testify against one another
These parsons of the Methodist Publishing House
employed me to write book exposing that Internal
scoundrcl of the Baptist Church. Elder j. r. Graves.
They then denounced him for all that was vile and
racally but now they are all standing shoulder to
shoulder in stirring up rebellion. They arc the
worst scoundrcls in the Union, and ! intend to ex-
pose their damnablc hypocrisy, villany and false
hood to the gaze of the world. No man living but
me can do it, for know them better than any one
else ! intend to resurrect the Knoxville Wing, aud
pour hot shot into their rotten hulks. Preachers
have had more to do with treason than any other
men Some sneaking scuundrol wrote me note
this morning asking my opinion of Andy johnson.
There is no more inconsistency in Andy johnson
aud myself working together in the cause of the
Union than for McFerrin and Graves To pull to-
gethcr in the yoke of the devil to destroy the Gov
eminent When the villainy of these wretches shall
be exposed, the revelation will shock the country
These Southern Methodist preachers began the work
of disunon years ago. John G. Calhoun the arch
originator Of treason sent for Bishop Capers, and
had long private conference with him. az the time
the spiit occurred in our Church This was the en-
tcring wedge of disunion. mean TO show these
traitors to the -corn and adherence Of their country