Page 151 - 1842 Methodist Schism

151

July the 20 . 1842 Harmon R Lucas

together, and you can reconcile the confl

-icting polity of the two methodist churchs

if the statement above refferred to

be generally believed, what will

be the concequence, the seceders from

the Methodist Episcopal church will

appear Before the world in the charater

of aspiring, amBitious schismaticks:

who without cause left the bosom of the

true church, and, forsooth, established

another upon the same principales of

polity with one from which they seceded:

and thus in the estimation of wise men

muust be for ever considered worse

than fools ! the story being admited,

but what is the fact in the case? there

is no more resemblance in the forms of

the churches alluded to, than there is

between the government of these united

states and the govenment of the chinese

in the celestial empire. why, sir, in

the methodist episcopal church, the

laity in her administration have no

representation, either directly or

indirectly: -- we write withe out fear

of successful contradiction. let the

clergy in said church point us to the

clause in their discipline, ( for constituti

:on you know they have none. ) in which

the right of suffrage or representation

is secured to her membership, and we

promise our head for a foot ball. we

make positive assertion, and we defy con:

:tradiction her members are received into

fellowship by the clergy without the voice

or consent of the membership. ( Read

asbury on the powers of the keys. )

her officers are all created by the clergy

from the class leader to the bishop,

with out reference to the will of the

membership of said church in any

shape or form. her property is all the

property of the clergy, in which the