The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1894-10-24
A DUBSITH ARGUMENT.
LCoallnnld Irom ~ ~ J

Continued from frst pageJ
was wrong in cont ending that his presence
as bishop with less than quorum consti.
tuted a legal conference; that his conduct
in suspending and expeling presiding
elders and others was a "usurpation OF
power" and the sentences pronounced by
him had "no force or effect' that his nc
tion in assuming the powers of the regu.
lar East Pennsylvania Conference was
usurpation that his eliminating orders
and judgments with the utmost self com
placency" was "in plain disregard of the
discipline" The indianapolis Conference,
the ecclesiastical court, decided that all
these things which the Supreme Court
denounces and overrules were proper
and right in every sense Well might the
majesty Of law in Pennsylvania eXclaim
of the priests that gathered together at
indianapolis in the language of Ezekiel,
Her priests have violated my law and
have profound my holy things.' The Bow
man bishops are entirely right In deplor-
| ing The division of the Church. The
multiplication of denominations is not
tyranny endurable. People trained in
monarchial countries may well submit to
this arbitrary rule Of preachers, but the
citizens of free commonwealth like
! Pennsylvania do not care to surrender
their manhood in this object way. In
this enlightened age, to ask Christian
freemen voluntarily to submit to the un-
| H., fyr ef, ,r1,
because 1t is a majority, is an invita-
tion to slavery. With the same
facility that the Indianapolis Conference
decides, contrary to the Supreme Courts,
that Bishop Bowman's Allentown con-
ference was the true one, the General
conference, under the Bowman-Esher
control, can decide any question of fact
contrary to the fact and make it binding
under the discipline of the Evangelical
church, on every one of its members. The
action of the General Conference cannot
| be restrained by written constitution,
| because it becomes the sole interpreter Of
/ the meaning of that constitution aud
whatever it decides that meaning to be
| the Supreme Cou'6 OF this state says is th e
i law. One is rather disposed to believe
that there must be a defect in the o gani-
zation OF soc etv when the state is so
| powerless, especially where p'ope.ty
rights are Involved, to protect cit'"eu in
his Christian relations. Assuming this
to be the law, it behooves every Chris an
to consider well the powers cou'e',ed
upon ecclesiastical courts, This is
an object lesson Absolute powe-
unres trained and not auswerable to the
law of the land. is un-Amer can. Tie
plain religious people OF simple faith who
founded the Evangelical Association in
this county aud o"Sauized the East Penn
sylvania Conference which is he mothet
conference of the whole chuCcb, little
dreamed that ia the future trey should
unwitttngly create an absolute power in
the church-a power represented by
foreigners aud ST ange,s which would
ultimately decla, the old East Peuusyl
vania Conference au illegal body and take
from the decepdauts o. the good people
who founded the cburch their cbu, ct
/ property and sti "couut IL noS robbie ~
! We greatly mistake the Christian chara
ter and high inteQ rity OF the people whit
z have revolted against the tyranny ant
! usurpation of Bishop Bowman and hi
! followers if they can again be Induced t.
bow their necAs to his yoke. The loss o
our churches is a severe blow. But a few
years of self deuial viii build new anC
better ones in more desirable locations
3 1t Is otter TO lose property than homo
and character and. above all, truth
"Stand fast, bretheln in the liberty where
/ with Christ hath made you free, aud b.
not eutapgled again with the yoke o
, bondage" A DUBSITE.
Shenandoah, Pa, Oct. Esd, 1895,