, 1875-12-19
RELIGIOUS.


Notes and Personals at Home ane
| Abroad--Church Services
To-Day.
THE FREE METHODIST CHURCH,
HISTORY or ITS ORIGIN.
! 70 tad Ed'tor Of Ihe Chio9go Tribune:
| CHICAGO, Dec 16.-rhere may bo hundreds In
! The city or Ch1caso viao are 1ot aware that such
Church e1ints IN tter midst. For the iniorma.
| e1on OF thoao desiring to know the facts Of its
origin, and the cauae for its exiatencs u de-
nomination. make the following quotation
from an address, printed in the fore part Of the
hrat edition ct their discipline, published ia
| Buffalo, N. T., in 1869:
Ihe Free Heo4odtat Church hss il origin IN pe1ee.
atty and not <hoice It did not R1px out Of aeces
a1on nor out a. unluccees{ul attempt to bruu ahout
reform N the government Of tho Church. Thosn
from the ldshodist Episcopal Church until they we.o
az cuded from Its pAla They sought redress
czod1d '1aarng wa denied them thus throvn out-
ano af1 possibility Of reatuz2tion betnR cut o aud
beeV x God still called them to Labor tor tho sarx-
1on souls, they had no alternative but to form =
ue" organization In doctrine, diSc1roe and spt..
W were Aethodiss, and hence they could not oer
- - *seivea to any other denomination The on
hach they we're thrust between dad for1us-
fsn ano tne LIE md power OF godlpess, md they
euia nos 1ee1 ae home with those branches Of tho
Aehodst family into whose other questions
I mainly entered.
Jesus has a1v,ya had = peop]e-a plain. humble,
tn spread Scrtptural holiness throughout tho world
"e bo1ieve the Metholts raised up Tor this pu--
poss; 1od Wa ~ith them, md gave them great sue
Hu. IS they grew strong sad wealthy, pride AID
11ve nns o. s5spt ~ he H. Ds
70 tAa most casual observer that there WA aaons
many Of tle ministers and menbers Of tho Iethod1a.
md growing departure Gona The spirit q Meth5d.:.
tha departure ii also In The alterations thai
have been recently u1ads In the Discipline.
IN 1852 the ruo requiring their aqusea Of vora;1p
to be built e plain aud with free seats wa4 edecsu
.lly nentrazed By .dding the words wherever prae
ousaRed 10 1856 by repeating the law which had sood
IN tho Discipline from the nrst forblddne tho rccep-
ornaments and substituting simple exhorta.ion to
conform to the spTlt o1 the apostolic precept," n,
though plain commands Of God could b. 73oated With
In the Neneseo Conference this departure from the
od paths wss hastened by tho connection o8 several Of
IT, prominent nambers with secret soaeties These,
bound together by tie unknown to the rest Of The
eocy and laying their pans IN tho htcsest secrecy.
formed t solid nucleus around which the fozmn mi
ehe aspiring naturally rallied portion OF tho Con-
ference Wished to adhere to primitive Metholiau4
They loved the doctrine Of holiness and preached il
services sought Tor. While thsy had the countenanoe
OF inc Haaops they wera unmolesled.
~ cn tns asns .a4 s Of the Aeodst Eptseo
stand again1t the 4ncroschment Of Inv excluding
alaseho1de11 from tho Church. Tho worldly policy
meubers of tho General Conference, some Of whom
AAd been radical Abolitioniss, stded with tho Rahopx
On hs aarery question. At it, next soaatnn thirty Of
less the Rev. L. Stiles and the Rer. I. G. KnRaey.
men whose sympeth3es and 2bors were foE the promo
t1on OF sEi11tual zeltgton-ve7o removed from tho
cananes They were tEansfsrrcd tothe Cincinnati Con-
terence contrary to their Wishes.
But tho work Of hoinoea went on Dead md formal
the next sees!on Of the 9enesee Conference tn secre
meeting held BY these thirty Preachers they vosd t<,
bring the 1sv 3. F. Roberts and tho Fsv ". C. Ken
dAa TO t11aL Charges ware preferred. Mr. Robafta
Was voted gziltJ OF immoral and unchrtstian con-
dnct for publishing IN ths :so'ns.n Iaa<p<.dt.k IN
that were no in that article in my other he ese1
VI ote. His character then passed, and he wae
das tria1 Eas deferred 1t the next Conference hs1d
IN tn Octobor, 1s53, secret meetings wera he1d
- a. tae two preceding sesalons. III. Robert. wai
latax second edition of n New-schooi 4ethodtsm.'t
and pamphlet signed BY Geo. #. Estes" whicn
IN this charge and ths testimony Of only one VT.
ness, Whose Vet1ctty Waa fully 1mpe7ched Mr. Rob-
Methodist Episcopal Church. The Rsv. Joseph Mc.
Crcary was also expelled 1t tho tina on tho SANG
Called Of God to preach, they could not cease b.
CAUSE tho human authority with which they hid been
invested ~Rs thus taken awAY. The nnoubern of the
Chn5cn who had Witnessed their labots aud ths1
spirit thought they should continue to pruae1 Ou&
hundred and 1inety-dve prominent lAynen met II,
Convention At Albion Dec. !. 1883 and passed reaou-
lona expressing their entire and uabatel confidence
In the e1Fced preachers, aud recommending them to
continue to lahor for the salvation OF *oule.
At the next session u the dencsee Conference, held
It BFockpor, In october. 1885, Rsvs. L. Stiles E.
o. Birmingham, J. l. Wells, and u. Cody wero expe-
ed TOR "contu1nacy" in aym2athiztng with those WIN
v Heddy aad The Ra1 i. Il. Fasnsxeitn xere le:..s1
oz the satue CAUSE.
Members Of tue Church who manifested 4n scttvo
hRrN
expelled in large numbers. Many vera Without their
onssnt and contrary 70 nstF Wishes tsad cut 6y the
he aaS csu1eh 9bo Led sy snesE
nonsy ~ md their tntiusnss to it, pEo"peFiV. and
Fifteen hundred tneabers of tha u Z. Church,
ny petioned tbe aeners confereacs 1t rs se5on
Baf1slo IN A.y 1884, 70 ,9vestgs'e the judicial &C.
o,tytvo va appo!rted for this purpose MEMORIAL
-tttng forth the grievances Eiared o. and Aida
It's tnd docaa#ea:s sastaatia:ins tho eon,ps.1nt4.
,ittee discharged was made b. tho parttsans Of TIN
,ajorit, IT Genaeee Conferences Thn Committee was
,.ie General Conference authorized tho preache,x Il
beyond the bounds Of their charges 70 obtain
n1ul1ttee to Try their uneuhera-
Under this new rue the work of expulsion went on
ous rnen long known foz thetr strong attachment to
oshodtsn. who were too Conscientious and God~
arf3 70 R1Ye thef aaucto 10 what they believed to
great tntqutt1es wero excouuaunlcated. Committees
trorted from distance for the purpone, e1peiod.
hope Of a change tor tho better bstnR cut Of snd
being evident that The authorities ot the Method1st
.seoP.l Ghu1sa wsre determined 70 Rut down v5as
n OF hJInen and ministers Enet Ut Pektn. Nlaaara
unity. n. f. Oh tho I'D day Of August i85o, 3nd
optedl form Of Discipline and Church Govern
Tho Free Nethodists now number about l2s
'mbera in Chicago They have snAlI church
~ North Morgan street, between Lake and
ton, With services each Sabbath At 1880 /.
. ND n FT7 tA1n~