The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1874-05-29
Pastoral Address.

and in discharge of this duty, we salute ypu
in tho name of our common Lord, anu IN the
word, OF the great apostle to the Genti,es'
"Grsce to YOU, and peace from Goa our u
ther and the Lord Jesus Christ
We render devout thanks TO Aiih'sh.y
end far the signal displays Of his grace 10 US
as Church during the past ionE years, Va
the enlargement of our coast. I'D llie in.l.
of our members, in our maternal pIospc..!
and in that agreement in the Ialth, 'nas un'Is
in tic Spirit, aud in that harmony auu tlsh,
uniyIitv which have everywhere pe'faucu
our Zion Extensive reviyais OF rension
have crowned the laborS OF our preachers
and the lifc-giving energy OF the Sospe', ln
the conversion of sinners and in the sancllii'
ratiou of believers, has been seldom more
spparent amongst us than during that pc
In these facts we have abundant evidence
Of the continued power and presence OF ., snt
HOLY Ghost in our ministrations, anu '..a'
tic ioon of Wesleyan Methodisn, as a We f mr.
crivej it from our fathers, has nor Deo .a The
fitted in our hands. RegardlnS ~ 90 as u =
pure.t existing type of Cbristk'ili9' ;so;riinc
priceless heritage of doctrine ani ;o;co tp i've.
committed to our keeping. We i'oo o,t;,l fno.
lieye tGat we retain II III I'LL Its '''S' i''''''
lures, ,,;o,r however. we
] I'M n,th;ug 10 illtter our pilue' uut -
"' t,r our humility, to awaken sentiments
rcort,nce. and 10 cherish purposes OF
,,,,;;l,nen,. Our piety, our Sclt-sacriuce,
,,, Chri>ti,n enterprise have not been equa'
~ AK Growth, much less to our STANDARDS,
AID n orr time. honored ecclesiastical nnd'
1,,rts Fundamentally correct IN our views
If orrutural truth, and in the main COM
nonda.,Iy consistent in our conduct, we nave
Tpuar,cd. in some instances, from the SIM
nlir,ty Of the Gospel AS we first received 1t.
An ;nnrdiDatc !oYrof the world in the lorms
Of ycc.1th. OF fashion. and Of amusement. mas
l,rr,Iv diffuscd itself among our people, ana
corr,,n.cd our spiritual integrity. The Pc
cul;lr institution, and u>a.es Of Methodlsn
roya brcn frequently neglected or abandon
pd and relaxation Of wholesome discipline
his diminished orr strength and impaired
orr testimony against the vices Of the age in
which re live.
RIO these tendencies, to which we are per-
nc.r,llT cyposed by the pressure OF the
worla. the flesh and the devil, and TO these
aetna. departures from "the old paths" we
eqrnt -tly call your praycrtui attention. In
these respects we have encouraging reasons
10 leicye that there is life enough In the
Church, and sufficiently high consciousness
@; The divine destiny Of Methodism to in
iuco return to It's unalterable acquisitions,
md a maintenance of its distinctive cbarac-
ter before the world.
We have been instructed by the General
Conference to urge upon your consideration
.aycral subjects of grave importance, cspe-
,ia!!y ut the present time. Without, there
tore, REMEMBERING this address any further
With our own suggestions, we proceed to oc-
cnpy is remaining portion with remarks
unon those topics which have been referred
to lie.
First.-It cannot be disguised that family
religion has been sadly neglected In many
If the households Of our people. Our own
observations confirm the too general COM
niant on this subject. The duty Of offering
the morning and evening sacrifice OF prayer
md praise upon the family altar has not only
the sanction of Scripturil authority, Of the
constitution OF the domestic relations, and
II the practice of Christian Church in all
ages, but it has been uniformly recognized
aud epjoincd by Methodist economy as
an indispensable exponent OF ln1uentisl
means of grace. 1t is hallowlDg III Its cfects
upon parents, children, and servants; en-
during in its results, and it transmits to pos.
tcrity, By the agency of the family orsanizs-
ton, the legacy Of the faith and the baDlls
and associations of genuine piety. 1t trans
forms the household into church, replete
with blessing and capable of Infinite success
sion. Such was Gods original and unre-
pealcd command in all the generations OF
israel. Such is His ordained method of giving
stability and currency to His cause in the
earth, and such is the grand bequest which
heads of families are required to leave their
legitimate successors in the spiritual Canaan.
Second.-In addition to the Instituted
means of grace, the Methodist Episcopal
Church South is amply supplied with those
which are denominated prudential; which,
though they claim no express scrptura
sanction, have been adopted and authorized
By our Church as eminently calculated to
promote growth in grace. Among these
arc the class-meeting, the loye-feast, and the
Church conference.
With respect to the class-meeting, we have
been requested by the present General Con.
ference to define the action of the General
Conference of 1866, which abolished that
part Of the then existing rule which made
attendance o test of membership in the
church. So far as it falls withia our province
to respond to this request, We reply that,
while the penalty for neglect of class-meet-
inc was abrogated, the institution itself was
lett in full force, to stand upon its merits
and its history, and is obligatory upon every
member of the Church. And We take occa-
sion to add that, apart from the divinely.ap-
pointed means of grace, no institution
among us is SO conducive to the Christian
life; and We eXhort our members not to for
sake the assembling of themselves together
in this capacity.
The loVefeas Is so precious popularity
of MethodiSm, so interviewer with its hap
piest memories, so full Of gracious resources,
and so generally recognized in these aspects,
that we deem it unnecessary to enforce its
observance, with very special formality; ex.
cent to say, that the Methodist Episcopal
Church South cannot afford to dispense Win
SO valuable portion of her inheritance as
the class-meetng and the love-feast.
The Church Conference was, In our Juds-
mcnt, wisely conceived. Judiclously man
aged, il subserved most useful purpose ID
our administration by distributing its duties
amongst the membership, perfecting its ope-
rations by detail, eliciting their efforts and
awakening their interest in Church affairs
and benevolent enterprises. Properly con-
Quoted and zealously enforced, il. cannot fail
to impart compactness and completeness to
our system, and largely to develop the social
power OF the Church for good. We there.
fore enjoin the regular and persevering OBJ
serYance Of it upon our pastors and people.
lhira--An explicit utterance was given,
by order of the last General Conference, in
our pastoral address on the subject of
worldly amusements. We now repeat that
utterance. We abate none of its teachings,
with respect either to the manifest inconsis-