of that country, are, amid great opposition and obloquy, contending for the abolition of slavery throughout its territories.

"5. That copies of these resolutions be sent to the Synods of the United Presbyterian and Reformed Presbyterian Churches in the United States, and to the representatives and organs of the Christian abolitionists of other denominations in that country.

Appointed the Rev. Henry Renton and George C. Hutton, with Mr. James Henderson, Edinburgh, a Committee to transmit the resolutions to the parties named therein-Mr. Renton, Convener.

Extracted from the Records of Synod by

DAVID CRAWFORD, Synod Clerk.

3. We append another extract, as breathing the true spirit of the liberal-minded Christian. The General Assembly of the Free Church of Scotland held its meeting in Edinburgh, May, 1861.

"On the motion of the retiring Moderator, seconded by the Earl of Dalhousie, Dr. Candlish was, by acclamation, called to the Moderator's chair. In the course of his remarks upon taking the chair, Dr. Candlish made an eloquent address upon the religious condition of Scotland and of the world, and alluded to the state of things in this country as follows:

"I own I have felt, I would almost say amazement, at the manner in which the present portentous spectacle looming upon us from across the Atlantic has been contemplated on our side. I speak of religious men and religious associations, and I can not but express surprise and sorrow that, amid the endless comments and speculations of politicians, the voice of our common Christianity has been so little heard, either in prayers to our Father, or in pleading with our brethren, that this gigantic fratricide may be stayed, and some better way found for ridding the land of the crime and curse of slavery than the deluging of its fertile plains with fraternal blood. (Hear, hear). When war seemed imminent between that country and our own some few years ago, there was no such silencè. It may be that silence-the silence of suspense and awe-is the most emphatic speech the British Churches and British Christians can, at this juncture, send over the ocean. It may be that, in presence of so ominous a thunder-cloud, they can do no more than behold and wonder, and wait and weep. It may, however, on the other hand, be matter for consideration in our Assembly of Scotland's Free Presbyterian Church, accustomed to

respect the great Presbyterian community in the States, to recognize among her sons some of the noblest champions of the faith that God has raised up in our day, and to rejoice with thankfulness in many revivals within her borders, from of old till now, whether some duty may not lie upon us, in this solemn pause, when the scarce unsheathed sword seems to be trembling ere it strike the first fatal and irrevocable blow. If no cry of ours, appealing to ties of Christian fellowship as yet unbroken, binding still in one church-communion the stern combatants in both camps, may be likely to be heard amid the din of gathering battle, at least our cry can go up to heaven, that it may please Him who is Head over all things to this Church, and who, making the wrath of man to praise Him, mercifully restrains the remainder thereof-to shorten these terrible days, for the elects' sake, and to bring, ere long, out of all these troubles a glorious issue of liberty and peace.'"

SECTION VI.-BRIEF REMARKS ON THE FOREGOING LEGISLATION.

(1) The interference of the Associate Synod with the rights of its members to vote as they chose, never amounted to any thing. Her people, generally, were an intelligent class of men, and considered themselves about as capable of judging in civil affairs as their ministers. They never bowed the neck to this yoke.

(2) The resolutions of the Associate Reformed Church were interpreted differently in different sections of the Synod-some considering them as excluding the slaveholder from the communion of the Church, and others giving them a different interpretation. The people of this Church at large never attached much importance to the slavery resolutions, and but few indeed of its ministers ever ranked themselves as abolitionists. Some of its ministers, however, were rigid in their rule of excluding all clergymen of their sister Church at the South from their pulpits.

(3) The repudiation of the Constitution of the United States is a distinctive feature in the principles of the Reformed Presbyterian Church. They declare, unequivocally, that slaveholding is sinful. In this view both branches agree; but the New Side do not set aside the Constitution as sinful, but will vote and hold office.

(4) The doctrine, that the civil government should acknowledge its submission to the authority of the Church, is a peculiarity of this religious body. Its practical application seems impossible in the present condition of the Christian Church, torn, as it is, into so many fragments. It would be somewhat difficult, we think, to select the particular Church which should have the control of the Government in questions pertaining to religion and morals. This view would seem to be a fiction of the olden times, such as made the Pope supreme over the nations.

(5) Here we have a solemn truth. The great mass of the Northern people never have sympathized with the abolitionists; and could the Southern people have known this fact, they never would have been induced to rebel against the Government, from the fear that the North were determined to let their slaves loose upon them.

(6) But, notwithstanding what is said above is true, yet we have had continuous repetitions of such language as is contained in the sixth proposition of the Reformed Presbyterian Church; and which it is impossible for any Southern man to interpret in any other way, than that it embodies the essential elements of abolitionism.

(7) This resolution embodies the extreme radical ground since taken by the abolition politicians. We have here a fair specimen of the tender mercies of fanatical clergymen. The successful declaration of emancipation, under present circumstances, would be the letting loose of four millions of slaves, to pillage, burn, destroy, and murder all before them. This result can not but be foreseen, and yet the Reformed Presbytery of Pittsburgh would look with complacency upon the rapine and murder that would follow in the wake of their scheme of settling our national difficulties.

(8) The United Presbyterian Church, it will be seen, has taken the broad ground that slaveholding is a sin.

(9) Here we have, again, the very Christian-like proposition of letting loose the slave population upon defenseless women and children! We recommend to the brethren of this Synod the

declarations of the Rev. Dr. Candlish, of the Free Church of Scotland, copied on a preceding page.

In taking a survey of the ecclesiastical legislation embodied in the present chapter, it would be impossible for any one, not otherwise informed, to come to any other conclusion than that these whole Scottish Churches are intensely abolitionized; and yet such is not the fact, as to many of the ministry, and the great majority of their people.

The people of these Churches are among the most orderly and law-abiding of any of the citizens of the Union. At no one time, within the period of the excitement upon the subject of slavery, could there have been one-third of them induced to vote for the emancipation of the slaves at the South, except with the free and full assent of the masters; and not one in a hundred could ever have been induced to assent to a dissolution of the Union, as a means of being disconnected from slavery. The fanaticism on this question has been limited to the few, and the many have acquiesced in what has been done for the sake of peace. The rabid opinions expressed by the Pittsburgh Synod of the United Presbyterian Church, and the Reformed Presbytery of Pittsburgh, are acts done under intense excitement, and will be subjects of regret hereafter. The declaration of emancipation by the Executive, or by any of the commanding generals under him, as recommended by these religious bodies, is a measure that has already received the seal of condemnation by the President, and will not be attempted again. Why a Church court should volunteer its judgment upon a political measure of such moment, is a question that its members must answer for themselves. The public will naturally inquire, whether the ministers, assuming to dictate to the Government, have themselves given such evidences of being imbued with wisdom from on high-have had such success in their own field of duties-as to warrant their assumption of the office of dictators in civil affairs.

CHAPTER VIII.

THE METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH IN THE U. S. AND SLAVERY.

THE Discipline of the Methodist Episcopal Church in the United States, as organized under the direction of Mr. Wesley, had a rule on slavery which aimed at the extirpation of the slave trade, and the promotion of emancipation. In 1784, the organization of the Annual Conferences was effected, and all business conducted by them until 1792. In 1796, the organization of the General Conference may be considered as completed. Its session for this year was held in Baltimore, and it has met once in four years since that period.

The action of the General Conference, at the meeting of 1796, on the subject of slavery, was as follows:

"Question 12. What regulations shall be made for the extirpation of the crying evil of slavery?

"Answer 1. We declare that we are more than ever convinced of the great evil of the African slavery which still exists in these United States; and do most earnestly recommend to the yearly Conferences, quarterly meetings, and to those who have the oversight of the districts and circuits, to be exceedingly cautious what persons they admit to official stations in our Church; and, in the case of future admission to official stations, to require such security of those who hold slaves, for the emancipation of them, immediately or gradually, as the laws of the States respectively, and the circumstances of the case will admit. And we do fully authorize all the yearly Conferences to make whatever regulations they judge proper, in the present case, respecting the admission of persons to official stations in our Church.

"2. No slaveholder shall be received into society, till the preacher who has the oversight of the circuit has spoken to him freely and faithfully on the subject of slavery.