Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1865-09-30
THE CHURCH RECONsTRBC
TlON QUESTION.

IkESOINs9h hAs1
TlON QUESTION.
The Church InteUigencer of Charlotte, N.
c., which is the accredited organ OF the
Bishops Of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi,
Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Nerth Carolina,
Tennessee and Arkansas" urges in Its nura-
Der of Sept. IA, an immediate return Of all
the dioceses to the Episcopal Church of the
United States, and the sending OF delegates
to the General Convention which is to meet
ut Philadelphia on the 4th of October. Only
one or two weeks ago this paper recommend.
ed, in accordance with the plan proposed
by Bishop Elliot of Georgia, not to take
any decisive steps toward the reunion until
the meeting of the General Council OF the
Protestant Episcopal Church in the Con-
federate States" which was appointed to
meet in November. Now it has changed
its mind and to the question, When shall
We return it gives the emphatic reply, "At
the forthcoming Convention to asseRable an
October" 1t discovers at present general
yearning for reunion, and therefore deems it
necessary to "strikc while the irons hot"
because three years hence, by the time of
the next General Convention of the Church
the hearts of the churchmcn, North and
South, might possibly be "alienated from
each other by wrongs, real or ideal" Finally,
| 1t expects, if the reunion be made now, that
"the Church will prosper, especially in the
! South. to degree that is not now dreamed
| of, even by the most saugninc of her chill.
drrn.'
! This hope of largo increase of the
! Episcopal Church in case OF reunion, i
founded upon the well-known determination
ei the tSltra pro-Slavery portion in the othel
religious denominations, under no condi
tiop to assent to a reunion with their anti
AZ. - Eu,1 q l.,
North but in case of predominence o
the Union tendencies, rather to seek refuge
in the Protestant Episcopal Church, whicl
alone they respect as being free from the
suspicion of anti-Savery-
Thus We have learned, from Trustworthy
authority, that when, some months ago
several of the Southern Methodist Bishops
including even Bishop Andrew (of Georgia
!, were ready with a reunion with the North
ern Muthndists, u prominent minister d
Georgia threatened, in such case, To carr,
over the Mctilodists of Georgia to .he Pro
tcstant Episcopal Church. There are man,
other indications that the hope of the South
crn Episcopaliuns to receive, in case of re
, union, large acCcssions from the othe
: Southern communons, will he realized
According to the organization of tn
Protestant Episcopal Church, those of tn
freedmen who are members of that churc
Will, in case of II reunion, he under the absa
lite jurisdiction of the Southern Bishop,
= and unless the opinions of these sLall great
/ ly change, .he colored Episcopalians will Ion
| remain without those rights in church an,
school which the followers of other persun
slons have it ia their power to obtain a
soon ms they choose.
The Southern Mchodists, in accordanc
hn lat ttf.r Of liai
t bishops, will not entertain fer moment tn
r idea OF s. reunion with Church which dt
/. clares Slavery to be an evil and exclud,
slaveholdcr, from communion. The las
number of The Episcopdt Nethoiist, of Rlcl
!! mond, announces that the Church will 500
change her name (Methodist Episcop,
Il Church South into one not Objectionable t
y their pro-Slayery friends in the North "a
I for instance, Wesleyan church,, and the
Il establish missions in all the Northern State
G Ia the meanwhile. however, the Soutker
Church is rapidly being reduced to small,
a dimensions. The negroes, who cousttut
C more than c.third of the entire mcmhc
: ship, are leaving them MS rapidly as the
c can secure the services of either Northcrn
ii colored ministers. AS regards the whit
y membership, the example of the loyal Ea
u Tcnnessceans who in June, to the numbt
Vi O,oUU, tPphTNsct from the ltCDcI cnurCi
n and constituted the lIolston Annual Co,
t. ference of the NJ. Z. Church. has just bee
u followed by the loyal kentuckians ri
J. Union ministers of the Kentucky Conte
ence, at the recent conference at Covingto
when the reunion resolutions offered |
e them were vated down, gave in their resign
n tion, and fifteen of them al once Joined tt
+ VI. Z. Church. Already two of the large
" congregations, one at Newport and Il
II other Mt Lexington, have refused to rccci,
o the ministers selected for them 10y Il
y Southern Bishops, and followed the 10y
" ministers into the NJ. T.. Church. 1t is e
e ncctel that withins4 frw wr"Ls a large nur
e ber OF other congregations Will follow N
1 example.
e Western North Carolina does not rema
d behind East Tennessee and East Kcntuck
IS Tie hhorriHe Wig says that six ministe
$ and eight local preachers have recent
% joined the Ilolston Conference of the NJ.
&c Church, and that the movement is likely
c extend
&c The same result is expected in Tcxc
II where the loyal ministers are likely to lea
J. the pro Slavery Church and organize one
,, two Conferences of the NJ. T.. Church.
II These new congregations of the Meth
c dist and other antiSlavcry churches will
the nucleus of an anti Slavery and thoroug
ly Union party in the South, and on til
account, these church movements are of Il
utmost importance, also from a nation