Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1866-06-15
rHE NoRTHERN METHoDIsT CHURCH.
From the Baltimore Gazette.

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From the Baltimore Gazette.
1 MEssRs. EDIToRs: Some time past you
published part of speech CT Judge
Chase, in which he gave tho Northern
Methodist Church large share Of the
credit for the liberation of the slaves of
the country, and expressed his full con-
fidcnce in tho efficiency Of that Church,
as an agency by which the radical scheme
for the Acknowledgement of the blacks of
tho Southern States would yet be accom-
plished. Ia tho Methodist, weekly pa
per, published in New York. there has
been published, in several Of the weekly
numbers, sermon preached by Rev
Abel Stevens, l.. i. D., and published
by request Of the New York East Com
| ference. In the paper for june I'd find
what seems 10 be the last instalmont Of
this sermon, in which, under tho head Of
"Thc Catholicity of Methodism," the
Reverend Doctor dwells upon the impor-
tance of consolidating all the Methodist
bodies of thescountry. And upon this
subject he utters the following language:
"The two African Methodist bodies, es-
pccially, should be welcomed, for they
most need our help; against them we
have most sinned by our exclusive neg
ligence, and they would afford us the
best opportunity of giving practical re-
buke to the anti Christian, not to say
antl-human, public sentiment which
dares to make, not in the State merely,
flor of this am not now speaking.) but
in the Church, the Kingdom of God on
earth, any distinction whatever, founded
on race or color" Again. he says, /
have utterly misunderstood Methodism--
misunderstood essential Christianity-if,
when this people come to US with their
overtures of reunion, We can pause to
make with them any other terms than
we would make with the highest religious
body on the earth. In the name Of apos-
tolic Christianity. let us insist that if
they come they shall be received without
any personal or official disparagement--
people, deacons, presbyters, bishops, and
all and insist that they owe it to the
honor and freedom Of tho kingdom of
God not to come at all, if we say they
cannot thus come" &c. Again, in re-
gard to the African church. he says: II
should be willing to see their bishops,
officially, as some Of them have lately
been, by courtesy, on the Episcopal plat
form of our General Conference /
should point to the spectacle with devout
PRIDE" dc. Again, in regard to that
public sentiment that has hitherto forbid
the placing Of the black race on an equali-
ty with the white, he has tho following
We are responsible, as the leading
church of the land, to do away these in
tolerablc perversions of public opinion"
When we consider the facts that this DIR.
Stevens, L. T.. d., is in the fullest sense
q representative man of the great North
ern Methodist church, and in fact her
great literary oracle; and that the SER
mon was published by the request Of one
of the largest and most influential Annu-
al Conferences in the Church, the FORE
going utterances are peculiarly ominous.
The fact is here brought to view, in un-
nistakable terms, that the first object
row aimed at by the Northern Methodist
church, as the chief end Of its mission,
is the abolition Of the distinctions which
now exist between the black and white
races in this country. And whoever
will pay little attention to the mediums
through which that church gives express
sion to its sentiments and purposes, can
not fail to be convinced that it is the
general purpose Of this great bodyto ac-
complish the cherished object of its am
bition, peaccably if it can, but II not, by
civil war, more fearful and terrible than
the one that has just passed over us. In
view Of this fact, Messrs. Editors, il
strikes me that those who conduct the
press Of our country, and especially OF
the Southern States, cannot discharge
their whole duty until they turn the at
tention Of the people to the representa-
atives of this great politico- ecclesiastical
body, as the enemies Of the country, Of
their race, Of mankind, and especially Of
our Southern States Tho representa-
tivcs of Northern Methodism have done
more than any other class to produce tho
DISCRIMINATION Of society in Maryland,
and to dsfranchise Jne-half Of her citi-
zens. They are doing more than all
other classes now to prepare the minds
Of the people for state Of things which
could not fail to give the black race the
balance Of power in our State, and make
the white race subordinate 10 il. The
sooner the minds Of tho people are i'm
formed in regard to the relation Of the
Northern Methodist church TO this SUBJ
iect, the better it will be for the county
and for the general interests Of humanity.
ALBUS.
E5r The Vicksburg Herald containsa
beautiful and eloquent tribute TO the me-
mory Of the late Hon. George u. Badg-