The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1869-06-03

II In our present NUMBER We have pun
lished the. reply Of the Bishops of th'
Methodist Curch South, to the proposi
: ti0h of reunion from the Bishops or Tn
Methodist Church North We designed
to accompany the correspondence witt
brief comment. But the subject is s.
properly treated by Northern cotempo
rary, the Chicago Times, that we vii
adopt rs our own the observations of tina
journal:
1t is popularity supposed that slavery wa
1.-The cause of the separation ofthe Methods
church into two distinct and antgonistic or.
CARNATIONS. The Northern Methodist bish-
ops, lately in session at MeadviIle, Pennsyl-
wanna, assume,in the communication of theil
deputies to the Southern bishops, that slave
ry was .the great cause" of the separation
'sThe great cause which led to the separa-
''tion from us of the Methodist church South
''has passed away they say ; and they .'trust
'that the day is not far distant when there
''shall be but one organization, embracing
"the whole Methodist family in the United
. States"
The view of the SUBJECTS both superficial
and presumptuous. Ir is superficial in that
it looks no deeper than the slavery question
for the cause; and it is presumptuous in
that it implies that all the blame was on the
part of the Southern Methodists.
! The Methodist church organization has
existed in this country upward ola hundred
years. Down to 1914, there was but one or
ganization. Yet during the quarters
of a century that the Methodist church ex-
sted as one Chris tian family, slavery also
existed. If"the great cause" ufthe separation
in 1874 teGs slarery, Is 70 not Gerry remarkable
that the necessity Of separation on that cause ods
not discorered before? During three-quar-
tiers of century, shareholders and non
Shareholders worshipped at the same altar,
partook of the same sacrament, and dreamed
not that great cause of antagonism lay
between them which should exclude one
from the altar where the other worshipped
Yet such was the iact-only nobody had
ever discovered it,-as the Northern bishops
assume.
To this assumption, the Southern bishops
reply in the pointed language which Is sub
Joined:
slavery was not, in any proper sense, the
cause, but the occasion only, OF that separa-
ton, the necessity of which we regretted as
much as you. But certain principles were
developed in relation to the political aspects
of that question, involving the right OF
ecclesiastical bodies to handle and determ-
inc matters lying outside of their proper Ju-
risdiction, which we could not accept.
That which you are pleased To call, no
doubt sincerely thinking it so, the great
cause OF separation, existed III the church
from its organization, and yet for sixty
years there was no separation. But when
those theories incidentally involved in con-
nection with it began 10 be put into practice
then the separation came"
Slavery has passed away; but the theories
which the slavery agitation evolved still
exist, and are as Instrumental OF mischief rs
ever. Political dogmas are still preached
from every Methodist pulpit in the North
The theory that the priest should unite to
ecclesiastical functions the duties of STUMP
orator and of manager in a partizau caucus,
is yet maintained and praeticed in the Meth
odist church North. The cause of the sepa-
ration in 1874 has not passed away, but it is
as active in the work of mischief as ever.
Hence,the Southern bishops are cOnstrain-
ed to say that the two churches unjust be
''one in spirit before they can be one in or
"ganization. Concord must be achieved be- |
fore any real union. Heart divisions must
"be cured before corporate DIVISIONS can be
"healed." And nothing can. accomplish |
these ends so long as one church concerts It's
pulpits into political rostruDS, and its affairs In
TO pyres for roasting Christians Of opposite polt-
tics, and the other church rejects these theo- |
ries and practices of an organization that
combines theology and politics in equal
parts. The Methodist church North must |
quit politics and return to theology, or the Meth
odist church South must quit theology, and |
take to politics, before there can be any real |
reunion between the two bodies.
Before any of the political parties
thought of dividing the Union, the Meth
odist and some other Protestant churches
burst the cords assunder that held them
together, and separated into geographical
lines; and it would be well for the har-
mony of the country if they would now,
one and all, set the example of reuniting.
y.