Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1875-07-18
FRATEREAL METHODISM.
The Great Love Feast at Round
Lake.

Inc Great Love FeaSt at hOunt
Lake.
DE-. McFerFIn ON the Feeling Among
the Southern Brethren-AnOthel
Meeting Next Year.
Round Lake Correspondence (July 49, of tn
Albany Argus.
This is the last, and, in some re
spects, the great day of the feast. Ger
tainly the representative love feast OF
speaking meeting at the great stand
this morning was one of the most In.
teresting services of the whole meeting
After prayer had been offered by
Rev. E. Watson, and the singing Of
the hymn,
| "Blest be the sons Of peace
Whose hearts and hopes are One,"
Bishop James said, "Next to fellowship
with God is the fellowship of saints. -
We are all interested in the welfare of
The different branches of the church.
After reading extracts of letters from
Rev. DR.. Bates, of Baltimore, Nd, the
venerable Daniel De Winnie, and Rev.
Bishop Doggett, of Richmond, Va,
expressing their great regret in being
unable to be present, Bishop james
called on DR.. McFerrin, the Missionary
Secretary of the Church South, to rep.
resent that church.
The doctor spoke in his usual genia !
style, and gave a very hopeful account
of their work. Tie church embraces
thirty-seven conferences, presided over
by eight bishops, and numbering about
100000 communicates; a gain of 300,.
600 since 1866. The past year has
been one of the most successful the
church has ever known. Many new
church edifces have been erected, others
repaired, and large number of con-
verts gathered. As to fraternal feel
ing, the doctor said he knew the senti-
ment of the South as well as any man,
and while there were a few still stub
born, the vast majority were for COM
ing closer and closer together, and
nothing has contributed more 20 this
result than the Round Lake fraternal
meeting of last year. must say moth
ing about organic union, but want to
see the time when the hearts of all the
Methodists on this continent shall beat
in unison. God bless you and make
you thousand times as many as you
are.
DR.. Arson Green represented the
Wesleyan Methodist Church of Cana
da. He spoke of the union of differ.
ent branches of Methodism among
them, and hoped it would before long
be realized In the States. Still, it
could not be hurried; we must let the
leayen work until it shall leaven the
whole lump.
Bishop james responded: eve do
not mean to hurry up the union of the
churches, but l want to say to all,
everywhere, if they don't hurry up, the
spirit of fraternity will hurry them
up"
Bishop Harris then spoke of the NJ.
E. Church, its 100000 members, an
of 100, 900 since the last camp
meeting, and insisted we had all the
means necessary for further progress
if we did not get above our business.
He assured the representatives of the |
Church South that their fraternal |
feelings were fully reciprocated, and |
added, "Let us not confront one anOth- |
er, but stand together with our faces
toward the common foe"
Rev. DR.. Drinkhouse, of Maryland, |
spoke for the Methodist Protestant |
Church, giving some statistics and say
ing that they were ready and anxious
for fraternity.
Bishop Jones, of the Zion African
II. E. Church, said they had a men,
oership of 225,000, with about 1000
ministers and five bishops. They had
nothing to learn In the way Of .frater-
nifty, for they had long practice in the
spirit of humility and forgiveness.
The colored N. E. Church, of America,
of the people of color who,
before the war, were part of the NJ.
E. Church South, but who since had
been organized into an Independent
church, and all their church property
made over TO them by the white trus-
tees who formerly he'd; was ably repre-
sented by Bishop Miles, who said they
mad sixteen conferences, 675 preachers,
$4,000 members and 1900 Sunday
school scholars. They have one church
paper, a book concern, and are pro-
ecting two educational institutions.
After each of these addresses there
we're singing and silent prayer, and
he influence must be for good both to
he cause of Christ and to the country.
Rev. DR.. Clarke, of Savannah, Ga,
hen read a resolution signed by the
bishops and other prominent men
present, requesting another fraternal
Meeting next year at this place, which
vas adopted by a rising and almost
unanimous vote of the whole congre-
cation, and the trustees, l lem, have
decided to repeat the meeting next
rear, holding it in the month of Aug
lst, if possible, to be out of the way
# the Centennial.