Page 153 - 1842 Methodist Schism, and Creeds

153

A Journal of Radicalism 1842

flag, proves to the world that her officers and

crew are brave fellows, wishing to appear

in their true characters, and so far,

whatever their traffic may be, are worthy

of respect for mee to tell your numerous

readers that the usage of the Methodist prote:

:stant church is directly the opposite of the

laws of the Methodist Episcopal church is to

tell them what they already know. that

we have a lay representation in both gen:

:eral and annual conferance; that all our

church officers are elected by the church

or her representatives; that all her memb:

:ers are received by the vote of the church.

that all her property belongs to the membesh:

:ip, that she always sails under her own

proper flag, and that she never, for conve:

niencesy or other wise, hoists the Episcopal

flag, which fact we pledge ourselves to

maintain, and beg leave to enrowl our name

withe the names of the advocates of religious

liberty Paul . Fry and he lyes to be sure

For the western Recorder

the little book again, friend Springer

in my last I called on Br. shinn for proof

that creeds or disciplines in the general, had

prevented divisions among those adopting

them, and in this I ask him to shew that

the little book, recommended by him, has

been more successful than its predecessors

if he is not already apprised of it, permit

me to inform him, that in the limits of

my acquaintance, some preachers, and

several memebers, who once adopted '

the little book, have either went back into

the old line, or strayed off into other denom:

:inations. so that ' the little book itself; has

proved a failure but onother argument has

been used in favor of creeds and disciplines,

which I must notice, namely, ' it is more honist

and fair, to have our belief written out and

published, so that the world may know exactly

what we do hold to, and believe, than to have

Page 152 - 1842 Methodist Schism

July the 29 . 1842 Harmon R Lucas 152

original builders have no right what ever

( see deed of settlement in Book of discipline

;) and, indeed, we know instances in which

local ministers leave vested large sums of

money for the purpese of erecting houses of public

worship, who because the have united with

the Reformers are prohibited from preaching

in these same houses, and other men who

built them not, are enjoying the use of them. we

say the meeting houses, chapels, parsonages,

colleges, and academics in the Methodist Episcopal

church are the exclusive property of the clergy,

to which the membership have no claim. and,

indeed, the laity in said church, according to

book of discipline are taught the doctrine of sub:

mission or exclusion I am aware, sir, that in

sections of country where prodestant methodism

is popular some parts of the discipline of the M.

Episcopal church is dispensed with, classes are

sometimes allowed so to elect their own leaders;

preachers and leaders admit of open doors in love

feasts and class-meetings: they invite chris:

:tians of all denominations to unite with them

in the means of grace, without reference to

the numbers of times the may have previously

been present. now, sir; what is this but sail:

:ing under a false Flag? why not at once

repeal the hateful laws, declare by their book

of discipline that they are Reformers in

principale, and not where circumstances call

for it: adopt the usages of the Methodist protesta

:nt church, and then to made every thing

appear right, tell the world there is no

difference between the forms of government

if light and darkness are alike, then are we

antagonist branches of the church alike. piracy

I hate with a mortal hatred: a ship sailing under

the false flag of liberty withe the manacles,

fetters and implements of slavery on board

ought to be over hauled, her crew and officers

arested, and her crime exposed to the detestation

of the world: but the ship that at all times: under

all circumstances, sails under her own proper

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

Page 150 - 1842 Methodist Schism

July the 19 . 1842 . Harmon R. Lucas 150

For the western recorder

Mr. Editor: sir. it has come to pass that every

friend of reform on this vast continent: should

step fourth and shew himself the unflinching,

unwavering, untiring advocate of mutual

rights, I detest a creature that like the bat in

the fable sometimes declares himself a bird

and sometimes a beast, according to the

strength of parties and the appearances of

Victory. let every firm friend of the

rights of men stand forth in the ranks

and shoulder to shoulder meet the

ecclesiastical aristocracy, that swarm over

our land like pharaoh's locusts; and in

sound and solid argument on church

policy we shall conquer, z for we can do more

than . Br. Kinney has written one chase

tens We claim the promise of god's word:

one shall chase a thousand and two put

ten thousand to flight. what in the nam

of comm sense do you think, sir, has

come to pass in this country? why the

clergy of the Methodist Episcopal church

and their minions are ended roring, by

every possible means, to persuaid the communi-

-ty that there is little or no difference betweene

the forms of the government of the Methodist

Episcopal church and the Methodist proddistant

church and thus are really deceiving hundreds

of abler pens than mine have promised to

the columns of the recorder to investigate

this matter, but Mr. Editor whilst we wait

for a feast, permit us to enjoy a common

meal. we think a baser false hood was

never reiterated than that now in

circulation, from maine to Louisiana and

from the bay of fundi to the gulf of mex

-ico, namely, that the two eccleciastical

goveerments above referred to are similer

or nearly alike. so then is democracy and

aristocracy -- so is a repuptican government

and that of an absolute monarchy reconcile

these conflicting forms of governments

Page 147 - Births and Deaths

147

Katharin Elizabeth Lucas was born

December the 6 th. 1835 in

Tippacanoe County Indiana

John Rogers Lucas was born

December the 5 th. 1837 in

Tippacanoe County Iindiana

The Deaths of my Brothers and

Sisters which Departeed there lives

some in Ohio and some in Indiana

Hester Ann Lucas Departed this life

July the 29 th. 1822 aged 1 year 8 month

Francis Asbury Lucas Departed this

life September the 4 th. 1822 aged

Six months and 22 days

Emily Francis Lucas Departed this

life July the 21 st. 1827 aged one

year 3 months 1 day

Benjamin Josiah Lucas deeparted

this life July the 11 th. 1829 aged one

year 3 months 29 days

Susan Brown Lucas Departed this

life august 18 th 1837 aged 7 years

8 months 3 days

Katharin Elizabeth Departed this

life the 19 of august 1837 aged one

year 8 months 12 days

Four of the former was buried in

the state of Ohio Muskigum County

Two of the latter was buried in

the state of Indiana Tippacane

County Tippacanoe Township

This I wrote on the 10 of September

1843 the of the Methodist prodestan

Camp meeting quite rainy

rain o rain o rain

Page 85 - September 13, 1839 - Father's Meeting

September the 13. 1839 Page 85

Fri 13 Clear this morning with a heavy frost

I cleaned up oats it was nice and pleasant

all day campmeeting commenced on

My Fathers land I done several

things to day after night I went to

meeting no more at this time Harmon

Sat 14 Cloudy this morning and rained till

late in the evening it quite was a few

out no more at this time H. Lucas

Sun 15 Cloudy this morning and rained som

quite cool for the season it continued so

all day I was at camp meeting there

was a few out Harmon Patterson Joined

the Methedist episcople church 1839 80

Wm Campbell staid all night hear

I got hom 15 miuets past 12 18ooo

Mon 16 Clear this morning quite pleasant it

looks fine Camp meeting broke up at

ten Oclock quite warm in the after

noon I cut 9 shocks of fodder it

continued pleasant all day but after

night it clouded up and rained hard 1839

Tue 17 Cloudy this morning and raining a

little it rained by spells all day in the

evening I went down to Cooppers store

after quinine I took up a waggon wh

eall to Millses for to get fixed I got

my calf from Samuel Pulvers and

Luesa Pulver had a severe shake of

the ague quite hard no more at this

Wed 18 Clear this morning quite cool for the

season it got some pleasant on through

the day I cut up fodder ten shocks of

Thu 19 Clear this morning quite pleasant

till in the evening it got some cloudy and it

rained some I cut up ten shocks of fodder

Wily. Sims staid att night with us