Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1878-10-23

was that DIR. Thomas undermined the
faith of his hearers in the commonly
preached matters of the church, and
replaced these with no other doctrines.
The matter was referred to commit
tee, and ELECTED majority and minori-
ty reports, the majority reporting that
their interview with DIR. Thomas re-
suited in pledges from him that he
would avoid the discussion of the OBJ
noxious points in his sermons hereaf-
ter. The minority did not consider
the interview and pledges satisfacto-
ry. The following was then offered
as q substitute, and adopted by a vote
of S5 to 10:
WHEREAS, The attention of this
conference has been called to the
teachings of our beloved brother, Rev.
Hiram w. Thomas; and,
WHEREAS, After long and patient
consideration of the subject, DIR.
Thomas being present and an unre-
strained participatOr, the conference
adopted paper setting forth its
judgment in the words following:
Resolced, That, after careful inqui-
ry, we are constrained to apprehend
that much of the teaching and influ-
ence of our Brother Hiram w. ThOm-
as is at variance with Methodism and
detrimental to the interests of evan
gelical religion, and it is our judg-
ment that Brother Thomas ought Ell
ther to give to this conference une-
quivocal assurance that such teachings
and influence shall, so far as he can
control them, be no more repeated, or
he accede to our request to retire from
the Methodist pulpit; and
WHEREAS, DIR. Thomas, after due
deliberation, has submitted his re-
spOnse in words as follows:
DIR. THOMAS STATEMENT.
To THE CONFERENCE: Learning
| since this session began that with
many of your members there is dis
trust in reference to the sOundness of
my religious teachings, and that this
feeling has gone abroad in the church,
Occasioning disquiet and unrest, and
recognizing your right and duty to
guard the church against the prOmul-
cation of error, and recognizing the
fact also that it is only just to myself
and the public that my position be
fairly understood, deem it proper to
submit to you the following state
ment:
1. have in the past, i'm all good
faith, sought to be in perfect accord
with the spirit and teachings of Jesus
Christ; and supposed that i was all
the time in substantial accord with
the essential doctrines of our church;
and have never for a moment felt
that was not i'm the fullest sympathy
with its genius and spiritual work in
trying to spread scripture holiness
over the land.
III. Wishing to be entirely candid,
and that you may know the exact
state of my mind in what mean by
being in substantial accord with the
doctrines of the church, ! will frank
ly state the only points on which |
conceive there may be difference of
opinion, or the possibility of misun-
derstanding: /. On subject of the re-
ligion, hold to what is substantially
known as the moral influence theory.
2. In reference to the
FINAL CONDITION OF THE WICKED
l have never doubted, nor do now
doubt, the fact of the future or after
death punishment. What may be
the condition of those or the nature
of their suffering, / cannot conceive
of that condition under the govern
ment of q just God as being worse
than nOn-eXistence. AS to the dura-
tion and results Of that punishment,
whether it be eternal or corrective,
resulting i'm reformation or ending in
annihilatiOn, have not reached any
settled conviction. The subject has
cost me a most unutterable. mental
suffering, and I find myself as the
years go by, growing into a larger
hope for mankind. 3. On the subject
of the
INSPIRATION OF THE SCRIPTURES
/ should find a difficulty in accepting
the verbal theory, but / do fully be-
lieve that the men who wrote the
scriptures We're inspired, and these
scriptures contain in substance the
word of God; and / think those who
have heard me speak frequently, or a
careful reading of my printed dis
courses, will bear me out In the truth
fulness of these statements. And in
holding the views above expressed, /
have not felt that was unfaithful to
the spirit of my ordination or in any
way DISQUALIFIED for honorObly stand
ing in q Methodist pulpit. My con-
ception of MethOdism has been that it
is large-hearted, loveful, singing
and praying organization, rather than
a rigid, dogmatic, churchly system,
and hence. have felt that there was
in it that tolerance or allowance of
personal liberty in thought thatcould
easily tolerate any views that might
seem peculiar in myself, SO long as
WAS In hearty arS sympathy , with its great
widespread Inisapprehension in the
public mind as to what really do be-
lieve, and that / feel that it is but just
to myself and to the church to say
that in the future / shall endeavor to
so express myself as to guard, as far
as may be, against the possibility of
being misunderstood, and shall con-
tinue, as best / can, to do the work of
faithful Christian minister. ~.
AffectiOnately, III. w. THOMAS.
WHEREAS, In conference with a
special committee DIR. Thomas ayoWs
his acceptance of the articles of faith
and doctrines of the Methodist Epis-
copal church, claiming only such lati-
tude of belief and expression as Is en-
|joyed by every Methodist preacher,
and he declares his purpose to SO care
fully guard his teaching in the future
as to make himself more clearly un-
derstoOd, averting the discussion Of
such questions as are liable to create
dlssensiOns in the church:
Resolved, That this conference does
not regard the response of DIR. Thorn
as adequate or ut all satisfactory, be-
cause
1. 1t contains in itself intimation
Of doctrines which are inconsistent
with the common, well known, uni
versally accepted, and historical
teachings Of the Methodist Episcopal
church and because,
2. The continued teaching Of them,
in our judgment, could only tend to
the extension and perpetuation Of al
ready widespread dissatisfaction and
alarm in the church.
Resolred, 2. That we protest against
their utterance by our ministers in
the pulpits Of our churches within the
bounds Of our conference a. disloyal
to our covcnanted obligations and de-
structive Of the church whose order
aud peace we are pledged to con-
serve.
Resolped,3. That we reafllrm the
action which we have already taken
In the case 40 above recited.
Resolred, A. That Notwithstanding
the character Of the paper submitted
by DIR. Thomas, yet in view Of the
pledges made by him setting forth
his purpose as TO his future teachings,
and hoping that he will respect the
Judgment Of his brethren now made
known to him and not desiring to cut
short his ministry, which, however,
iunsatisfactory in the past, we believe