Year: 1859




and the appointment of delegates to which, on
tho part of tho local conferences, has already COM
menced, it seems to be anticipated that a major
iy will be found ready to give a thoroughly Anti.
Slavery character to the Methodist Church.


!, 1t is pretty plain, however, that the members
of the new General Conference will not be able
thus to seperate their Church from all connection
with and responsibility for slaveholding without
the exercise of good deal of moral courage, and
perhaps submitting to some pretty serious sacrif-
ces. An article In Harper's Heekly which may
be regarded as d sort of manifesto Of the 0ppos
ton, attempts, by formidable array of objections
to frighten what it comedies will be a majority o.
that body from the execution of what it admit,
will be theft conscientious purpose. 1t Is alleged
that, beside the owners of the 10000 slaves esti
mated to be held by members of the Methods
Church North, there are large bodies of 'conser
vative laymen" in all the large cities and some o.
the rural districts who will be ready, rather than
submit to this purgation Of the Church. to join in
new secession. But it is not merely a loss OF
mbers-some of whom might possibly be spared
without any serious damage to the Church-with
which the Conference is threatened. They are
threatened in addition to this with the loss of their
church odifces. 1t is stated in this article, and
we presume the statement is in accordance with
fact, that most of the Methodist Episcopal
churches in the North are Mt present mortgaged
for large sums Of money. We are very sorry to
hear this but it is natural result of the habit in
which the Methodists, by dangerous departure
from their original simplicity, have of late indul-
ged themselves, of building splendid and expen;
sive churches. The payment of the interest on
these mortgages is dependent, as well as the sala-
ries OF the ministers and other expenses of the
church, on the voluntary contributions of the lay
members, and it is aleged-and the allegation is
even stated to rest on "a careful inquiry"-that
.he bulk of the contributors are strongly opposed
to the new rule-so strongly opposed to it that
rather than become parties to "a wholesale insult
upon their Southern brethren"-that being the
light in which the withdrawal from religious fell
lowship with Shareholders is represented-they
would decline to contribute anything further to-
ward the interest on the debt and will suffer the
churches to be sold under foreclosure of the
mortgages. This statement OF tho case gives to
the approaching struggle new and highly inter-
esting aspect. 1t is to be contest, it seems be-
tween the conscences Of the delegates to the Gen.
eral Conference and os the local Conferences who
select :hem, and the breeches pockets and slave
holding sympathies Of those who contribute thu
money to pay the mortgages on the churches
The members of the General Conference seem t
be placed by this threat, thus paraded before
them, in the dilemma of being either bought up OF
sold out. Granting the fact of such a dilemma
we cannot doubt, for our part which horn of it the
Conference will choose to be impaled upon. The
Methodist Church can get along without church
editices. 1t has done SO before, and can co SO
again. Wesley and Whtefeld used to preach in
the open fields. But, whate YER may be the case
with some Of its nominal members, the Methodist
Church, considered as church, could not, we ap.
prehend, ge! on without conscience.