■'* • • • ^ ■ ' ■ ''-j 
 
Columbia (Bnitoetsftp 
 
 THE LIBRARIES 
 
 Bequest of 
 
 Frederic Bancroft 
 
 1860-1945 
 
CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 METHODISM. 
 
CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 AND 
 
 METHODISM. 
 
 BY Z. K. HA WL]^ Y 
 
 OF •?0'JTH .XCRWALC, CCiMC. 
 
 
 NEW-YORK : 
 LEAVITT, TROW AND COMPANY, 
 
 194 Broadway. 
 1846. 
 
H 3/4' 
 
 Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1846, by 
 
 LEAVITT, TROW AND COMPANY, 
 
 In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the Southern District of New, York. 
 
 ^fo^Yi. 
 
in 
 
 CD 
 
 CO 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 The following Work was not undertaken for the sake of 
 controversy, nor to produce it ; — it had already been pro- 
 duced by others. Neither was it at first any part of the Au- 
 thor's design " to make a book." Circumstances, already 
 alluded to, had led him to a discussion of these subjects, 
 which was primarily intended exclusively for the people of 
 his particular charge. The idea of publishing originated 
 with those in whose advice, strongly and repeatedly urged, 
 he can safely confide. 
 
 While various defences of the Puritans and of their princi- 
 ples have been put forth, none has hitherto been attempted at 
 the quarter where assaidts have been as incessant as they 
 have been violent and peculiar. 
 
 The Work is not shaped merely by a theory ; — it is the 
 result of observation, and is designed not only to supply a 
 deficiency, but to meet the exigencies of actual life. The 
 plan of the original discussion is preserved, as well in the 
 historical illustrations, as in the form of the argument. This 
 is required by a variety of reasons ; not the least of which 
 is, the hope of reaching a class of readers who are not ac- 
 cessible through more expensive Avorks. And it is beheved 
 that those to whom these historical facts are familiar, will 
 find them clothed with fresh interest, from the application 
 which is here made of them. The reader is desired to re- 
 member that this portion of the work is not given for the 
 sake of the history, (for, in that case, more than a mere epi- 
 tome would have been necessary,) but as furnishing illus- 
 
8 PREFACE. 
 
 trations of important truths. This remark applies, also, to 
 the few local allusions which are employed. 
 
 While engaged upon the work, in its present form, the 
 Author has had his eye fixed upon the effects of an applica- 
 tion of the principles upon which it is executed, as already 
 developed; and he would improve this opportunity to ac- 
 knowledge his obligations to his Methodist brethren, for the 
 numerous and important suggestions which they have offered, 
 both in public and in private. If the work possesses any 
 thing of pointy or practicalness, much of its merit, in these 
 respects, is attributable to this source. 
 
 If there should appear to be an unnecessary particularity 
 in any respect, the Author has only to say that he has been 
 guided, mainly, by one important consideration, viz., the effect 
 upon the popular mind ; and especially at those points where 
 he has found error and prejudice most deeply intrenched 
 On the other hand, the object in view required that the work 
 should be brought within a narrow compass. 
 
 South Norwalk, Ct., January, 1846. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 I. 
 
 Introductory -Remarks — Origin of the Work — Assaults on 
 New England — Clamors against Calvin — Sectarian Ag- 
 gressions and Misrepresentations — The Work purely De- 
 fensive — Plan, 13 
 
 II. 
 
 Principles of Congregationalism — Based only on the Scrip- 
 tures — Congregationalism Republican — Consociation — 
 Association — General Association — Councils — Presbyte- 
 rianism — Protestant Episcopacy — Episcopal Method- 
 ism, 19 
 
 III. 
 
 " The old Paths "— " Statute Law" and " Common Law"— 
 Congregationalism a System — Congregationalism pre- 
 vious to the Reformation — Congregationalism alone se- 
 cures the ecclesiastical rights of individuals and of indi- 
 vidual Churches — Episcopal Methodism an Aristocracy — 
 Tendencies of Clerical Power — Congregationalism the 
 Reformatory Principle, 34 
 
 IV. 
 
 The Reformation — Luther — Wickliffe — Condition of the 
 Church — Church and State — How united — Who was 
 Wickliffe — What were his Principles — His Times — The 
 Puritans — " The Independents," .... 56 
 
 V. 
 
 Progress of Congregationalism — Henry VIII.— Elizabeth— 
 
XO CONTENTS. 
 
 Her Times— Contest of Principles— Oppressions— James 
 I.— Planting of New England— The Seed— Witchcraft, 72 
 
 VI. 
 
 Blue Laws of Connecticut— Persecution— Roger Williams 
 — The Anabaptists — The (Quakers, . . . 101 
 
 VII. 
 
 Union of Church and State— Toleration— Saybrook Plat- 
 form — Half-way Covenant — Unitarianism — Numbers and 
 Success not Tests of Truth, .... 128 
 
 VIII. 
 
 John Wesley — Origin of Methodism — The United Brethren 
 — Whitefield — Source of power in Wesley's System — His 
 Anti-Republicanism — Progress of his System — Deed of 
 Declaration — Organization of the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church in the United States of America — Ordination of 
 Dr. Coke, 154 
 
 IX. 
 
 Episcopal Methodist Theory of Church Government — 
 " Tracts for the Times" — Episcopal Methodism an Aris- 
 tocracy — " Divine Rights" of the Clergy — Rev. Dr. Bas- 
 com — " Declaration of Rights" — " A Cloud of Witnesses" 
 — Secessions, 178 
 
 The Mechanism of Episcopal Methodism — The Ministry, 
 Itinerant and Local — Bishops — Elders — Deacons — Pre- 
 siding Elders — Preachers in Charge — Clerical Organiza- 
 tions — General Conference — Annual Conference — Quar- 
 terly Conference — The Church — Societies — Classes — 
 Bands — Class Leaders — Exhorters — Trustees — Stewards 
 — Circuits — Districts — Control of Churches — Book Con- 
 cern — Organization of Quarterly Conference — Nothing 
 left with the People — A Case — Dr. Bangs — Church Funds 
 — " Hands in the People's Pockets," . . . 204 
 
 XI. 
 
 Who control the use of the Church Edifices, . 227 
 
CONTENTS. 11 
 
 XII. 
 
 Powers of the Bishops — Springfield District — Lowell Case 
 — " Checks" upon the Bishops, .... 246 
 
 XIII. 
 
 " Principle of Compensation" — Its application to the subordi- 
 nate Clergy — To Lay Officers — To the People — Support 
 of the Clergy — Checks upon the Clergy — " Made" by the 
 People — The Starvation Argument, . . . 268 
 
 XIV. 
 
 " Peace" Principles — Methodist Warfare — Their Weapons 
 — " A Dialogue" — Confession of Faith — Calvin — Wesley 
 — Who are " Peacemakers" — How to make Peace, 287 
 
I. 
 
 " What have I now done ? Is there not a cause 1" 
 
 1 Sam. 17: 29. 
 
 Introductory Remarks— Origin of the work— Assaults on New England— Clam- 
 ors against Calvin— Sectarian Aggressions and Misrepresentations- The 
 Work purely defensive — Plan. 
 
 It has been said that " History is philosophy 
 teaching hy examples^ A few " examples," there- 
 fore, may be the best mtroduction to the following 
 work. 
 
 Congregational Tract No. 1. had been circulated 
 among us ; the circulation, however, being carefully- 
 confined to Congregational famihes. That Tract 
 was designed to be an exposition and defence of the 
 Congregational system of Church Polity, but con- 
 tained an incidental allusion, by way of contrast, to 
 Episcopal Methodism ; an allusion occupying less 
 than eleven lines. The term Church was there de- 
 fined ; and the definition was sustained by an appeal 
 to the Scriptures. It was maintained that the Bible 
 is our only authority on that subject. The rights 
 and privileges and duties of church members, were 
 argued from the same authority ; and it was assumed 
 that what the Scriptures enjoin as a duty, is every 
 man's duty. 
 
 Now, what was there in all this to create a secta- 
 2 
 
14 CONGREGARIONALISM 
 
 rian warfare ? Or, if any felt themselves called to 
 the fieldj how should we expect them to be equipped? 
 How, but with argument, and with counter appeals to 
 Scripture ? But was such the fact ? No. The wea- 
 pons are, petty criticisms upon particular words and 
 isolated passages ; and the grossest assaults upon 
 personal character, not only in private, but from the 
 pulpit and the press ; and a sweeping slander upon 
 all New England, — characterizing it as " the land 
 where they hung Quakers and tvitches ;" — accom- 
 panied by the changes which are usually rung 
 upon " Calvin," and the " Saybrook Platform," and 
 the "Blue Laws of Connecticut;" and all this, not 
 merely by a regular onset from the pulpit in a course 
 of sermons, but by constant assaults in public and 
 in private, extending through a period of several 
 months ; and not only did the fact and the wanner 
 of the assault indicate the spirit which dictated it, 
 but the ti7?ie which was chosen was an equally deci 
 sive indication. It was a time of more than common 
 religious interest in our church, when the popular 
 mind was turned more than usual in this directioUy 
 and men were inquiring of us, '• What shall we do 
 to be saved ?" For such a cause, and at such a 
 time as this, public attention was diverted from this 
 inquiry by a flourish of trumpets, announcing a for- 
 mal and characteristic assault upon the ghost of 
 Calvin, and the persecuting and witch-hanging Puri- 
 tans. Our arguments and our appeals to the Scrip- 
 tures, are met by appeals to popular prejudice, and by 
 caricatures of Calvin. When the anti-scriptural and 
 anti-republican nature of Episcopal Methodism is 
 
AND METHODISM. 15 
 
 alluded to, attention is called from the true point by 
 conjuring up '' witches," and the ghost of Calvin. 
 Is there a lack of argument at any point ? The gap 
 is filled by the cry of '•' Calvin ! Calvin ! ! " And 
 what do they know of Calvin, or of his doctrines ? 
 When did they ever state his doctrines fairly 7 
 
 But what if they did state them fairly ? Calvin 
 is not our Oracle ; nor are his Institutes our Bible. 
 We do not adopt Calvin as our authority^ nor any 
 other man, or body of men. 
 
 All this would be a matter too small to be no- 
 ticed, were it merely an ebullition of individual or 
 local feeling. But it has derived importance from 
 the fact that it has received sanction, and currency, 
 and influence, in a series of articles, through the 
 columns of the Methodist Episcopal organ, the Chris- 
 tian Advocate and Journal. 
 
 These " examples" appear to be the natural result 
 of the system in connexion with which they are ex- 
 hibited ; and they are specified, not in the least as 
 peculiar to any particular locality, but as illustrations 
 of the spirit which animates that system. When 
 did a Methodist preacher ever pass his year in any 
 place without shaking off the dust of his feet against 
 " Calvinism" and " Presbyterianism ?" Yolumes 
 might be filled with their caricatures of these stand- 
 ing topics. Even our families are invaded, and our 
 children arrayed against their parents. Facts,* con- 
 
 * Not long since, a member of the Sabbath School, connected 
 with the author's congregation, was ridiculed by another child, for 
 attending " a blue rresbyterian Sabhath School." Where did the 
 child acquire that spirit, and that language 1 Another child, of four- 
 teen or fifteen years of age, was told, in effect, that she was under no 
 
16 CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 stantly occurring, indicate the influences that are in 
 operation, to make our people feel, — and especially 
 the young, — that they are under a cold, iron, "man- 
 made" system, which '' neither they nor their fathers 
 were able to bear ;" while '' the enlarged liberty" of 
 Episcopal Methodism is portrayed in glowing colors. 
 Efforts, constant and systematic, are made to preju- 
 
 obligation to regard the feelings or the advice of her parents, in mat- 
 ters of reUgion, though they were both members of a Congregational 
 church. The effort was, to induce her to join a Methodist class. 
 
 Allow me to give some of my own experience and practice. The 
 first year of my ministry was passed in the state of Illinois, in a re- 
 gion of great moral destitution. There was hut one Congregational, 
 and no Presbyterian minister within thirty-five miles of me. The 
 Methodists had been accustomed to send a preacher to that settlement 
 once a month. Scarcely had I entered upon my labors when the 
 Methodists doubled theirs by coming twice a month. At length, find- 
 ing too much upon their hands, or that I was comparatively harmless, 
 they came but one-third of the time. At the end of the year, I was 
 invited to another field of labor ; and thea our Methodist brethren 
 immediately fell back upon their old plan of once a month. On what 
 principle were more of their efforts necessary during the time that the 
 ground was occupied by a Congregational minister? Were half 
 their labors expended in counteracting his influence ? 
 
 I accommodated my labors to theirs ; going to other settlements 
 whenever Methodist meetings were held in the village in which I re- 
 sided. My own family, as did every family of my congregation, 
 attended their preaching, (though very few of the Methodists attended 
 mine,) and thus I could not but learn the great frequency with vyhich 
 " Calvinism" and " Presbyterianism" were made the theme of the 
 preacher's discourse. After one assault, of more than common vio- 
 lence, I prepared a sermon in reply ; but finally refrained from preach' 
 ing it, through deference to the feelings of my Methodist hearers, and 
 through the influence of certain " peace" principles, falsely so called. 
 
 These facts are not given, as possessing- any thing peculiar ; but 
 simply as illustrations of our common experience, and of our common 
 practice. We have been silent, till silence is a sin. 
 
AND METHODISM. 17 
 
 dice the minds of the yoimg and of the old, until 
 many are made to regard " Calvinism" as emphati- 
 cally " the doctrine of devils.'*^ 
 
 It affords no pleasure to expose faults like these, 
 but it is the dictate neither of wisdom nor of charity, 
 that we shut our eyes to them. Pj^inciples are in- 
 volved which some of the sons of the Puritans will 
 never relinquish or cease to defe7id. But the his- 
 tory of Congregationalism shows that we are not 
 hedged in by denominational lines. Presbyterians 
 and Congregationalists meet, and have always met, 
 and interchanged labors, with the utmost cordiality. 
 The names of Scott, and Robert Hall, and Milnor, 
 are cherished by us, with the most affectionate re- 
 gard ; — the more heartfelt^ if possible, not because 
 they were without denominational preferences, — but 
 because they rose superior to them. And toherever 
 true Christian candor is exhibited, it meets from us 
 a prompt and hearty response. This is true Chris- 
 tian union. Without this, union is hollow-hearted 
 and mischievous. 
 
 Under the influence of such views, it is with 
 commingled feelings of reluctance and of pleasure 
 that I engage in the present undertaking. It is 
 with reluctance, because I cannot expect that my 
 motives will be fully appreciated ; but what is more, 
 different bodies of the sacramental host will seem, to 
 be arrayed against each other. Instead of combining 
 their energies against the common foe, they seem to 
 present a divided front, even upon the field of battle. 
 
 But with all this, there is mingled a feeling of 
 pleasure. This arises from a perfect conviction of 
 the truths w^hich I am to maintain, and which are 
 
18 CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 often misunderstood and misrepresented ; truths 
 which were so dear to our fathers, and for which 
 they suffered the loss of all things ; truths which lie 
 at the foundation of all liberty^ civil and religious. 
 
 In entering that portion of the field which has 
 remained, hitherto, almost untrodden, I am not con- 
 scious of being actuated by party feelings. On the 
 contrary, I am conscious of higher motives than 
 those of a sectarian character. 
 
 It is not my object to attack others, but to defend 
 ourselves, and to defend the truth. In doing this, I 
 must, necessarily, expose error, and the character of 
 the means by which error is propagated, and truth 
 opposed. Congregationalists have too long slum- 
 bered over this matter. We have too long been dis- 
 obedient to the inspired injunction, " Contend ear- 
 nestly FOR THE FAITH WHICH WAS ONCE DELIV- 
 ERED UNTO THE SAINTS." Our sileucc has been 
 construed into a consciousness of our weakness. 
 The assertion has been openly made that we " dai^e 
 not defend the j)ecnliarities of our systemr 
 
 These are some of the circumstances and the 
 motives under which this work is undertaken. I 
 now call attention to the manner in which I purpose 
 to accomplish my design. 
 
 My first object will be, to exhibit the leading 
 features of Co?igregatio7ialism, — both the theory^ 
 and its developments in practice. — and to repel 
 certain objections and unjust charges which have 
 heen^ and are stilly ivith great frequency, made 
 against it ; and then to examine that system which 
 we are often urged to substitute for " the old 
 paths.'''' 
 
IL 
 
 " These speak evil of those things which they know not " 
 
 Jude 10. 
 
 Principles of Congregationalism — Based only on the Scriptures — Congregation- 
 alism Republican — Consociation — Association— General Association — Councils 
 — Presbyterianism — Protestant Episcopacy — Episcopal Methodism. 
 
 The starting point in the Congregational system is 
 this, The Bible is the only authoritative rule 
 
 OF FAITH AND PRACTICE IN RELIGION. We hold, 
 
 that, according to the Bible, every particular church 
 is an ecclesiastical republic, authorized to derive its 
 own rules and doctrines from the Word of God, and 
 to apply them in practice. Accordingly, every Con- 
 gregational Church adopts for itself its own Confes- 
 sion of Faith and Covenant. No man or body of 
 men may legislate over us in ecclesiastical matters. 
 We have our Consociations of Churches, or Conferen- 
 ces, or Conventions, and our District Associations and 
 General Associations of Ministers ; but these are not 
 authorized to legislate over the individual Churches. 
 Every Congregational Church adopts its own prin- 
 ciples of intercourse with other churches. The bro- 
 therhood admit candidates to the privileges of mem- 
 bership ; they perform the various acts of discipline ; 
 they choose their own ministers, and other officers, 
 and all without the necessity of submitting their ac- 
 
20 CONGREGATIONALISM. 
 
 tion to the revision of any individual or body of men , 
 any farther than may be necessary to secure Chris- 
 tian confidence and ecclesiastical intercourse. If 
 churches unite in consociation j or otherwise, of course 
 the body thus constituted adopts such rules as it sees 
 fit, consistently with the fundamental principles al- 
 ready acknowledged. 
 
 The great difficulty with many who oppose our 
 ecclesiastical system is this ; either they do not un- 
 derstand its principles^ or they do not enter into its 
 spirit. They seem to have no idea of republican- 
 ism in a Church. They are just in the condition of 
 foreigners, subjects of monarchical governments, tra- 
 velling in our free country. The subjects of a mon- 
 archy see every thing through ??ioiiarchical specta- 
 cles. All their reasonings, all their remarks, show 
 this. They cannot forget or lose sight of their old 
 principles and prejudices ; and therefore their jour- 
 nals abound in inferences unfavorable to republican- 
 ism, and laudatory of monarchy. They cannot un- 
 derstand our system, because they are not republicans 
 either in theory or practice or heart. Consequently 
 they never represent republicanism fairly. 
 
 Just so it is with those who have never enjoyed 
 the privileges of republicanism in the Church. Ac- 
 cording to Episcopal Methodism, the clergy rule the 
 Church ; the clergy legislate ; they frame the rules 
 of discipline, and apply them. That system leaves 
 nothing to the people but to ohey^ and pay their 
 •' quarter ageP The clergy prescribe the articles of 
 belief If the articles of faith are ever altered, the 
 people have no voice in the matter ; they have only 
 to say " amen," or leave the church. 
 
AND METHODISM. 21 
 
 Now, how is it possible that those who are im- 
 bued with the spirit of such a system — who are al- 
 ways accustomed to look through the medium of 
 such a prejudice as that system must necessarily beget, 
 and without which it could not continue to exist — 
 how is it possible that they should so enter into the 
 spirit of republicanism in religion, as rightly to under- 
 stand Congregationalism, or rightly to represent it ? 
 So far from this, whenever they think of a book upon 
 Church order or doctrine which they call ours, they 
 regard it as imposed upon ?/5, just as the Book of Dis- 
 cipline is upon them. When they speak of the Say- 
 brook Platform, they seem to regard it as one of our 
 books of statutes^ every doctrine of which we must 
 receive, and every principle of which we are hound 
 to practice. Or when they speak of Calvin, they 
 seem to regard him as the founder of our system, just 
 as Wesley is of Methodism. Nothmg could he far- 
 ther frora the fact. While all, who call themselves 
 Calvinists, do believe that the doctrinal views of Cal- 
 vin are, in the main, in accordance with the Scrip- 
 tures — as distinguished from Arminianism. — yet 
 we do not adopt all his views, or all his principles. 
 The Methodist Book of Discipline is like a bullet- 
 mould ; it runs all who adopt it as nearly alike as 
 the nature of the materials and of circumstances will 
 admit. Go from Maine to Iowa, and you will see 
 the truth of this remark. But you find every shade 
 and variety of Calvinists. They are found among 
 Congregationalists, and Presbyterians, and Baptists, 
 and Episcopalians, and there is even a denomination 
 of Calvinistic Methodists. Among these denomina- 
 2* 
 
22 CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 lions there is every shade of belief. They are called 
 Calvi7iists, to distinguish them from those who hold 
 the opposing system of Arminiafiism. Some of 
 these denominations have their Books of Discipline, 
 which unite the various churches of each denomina- 
 tion into one body, constituting, in theory, one charch. 
 But with Congregationalists it is not so. With us, 
 every particular church is a little republic. If any 
 wish to know what we believe, they must study the 
 Confessions of Faith, and the Covenants of the indi- 
 vidual churches.* They must enter into the spirit of 
 religious republicanism. They must think of each 
 particular church as a religions commonwealth ; 
 under subjection to no foreign yoke ; all its members 
 freemen in Christ Jesus, regulating their own affairs, 
 subject only to their divine Head. The Saybrook 
 Platform, the Catechism, and Calvin, are all tried by 
 the Bible, and are in no sense binding upon us, ex- 
 cept as our own judgment and conscience admit them 
 to teach the truth. 
 
 Having thus alluded to some of the Republican 
 principles of our system, let us trace them in their 
 natural operation. The history of this church t may 
 be taken as an illustration. 
 
 Certain Christians in this community became 
 
 * It is confidently believed that no ejqual number of churches of 
 any denomination exhibit a greater degree of intelligent and harmoni- 
 ous belief, than is found among Congregationalists. The funda- 
 mental doctrines upon which we unite as a basis, and the nature of 
 our ecclesiastical organization, causing, as it does, a. sense oUndivid- 
 rial responsibility to press upon the people, combine, as we think, to 
 produce this result. 
 
 t South Norwalk, Ct. 
 
AND METHODISM. 23 
 
 desirous of establishing a Congregational church in 
 this place. They proceeded to make their own pre- 
 liminary arrangements, in connection with their pas- 
 tor and those with whom they were in covenant. In 
 doing this, they were guided only by a regard for 
 their own interests, and for the general interests of 
 the Redeemer's kingdom. They adopted their own 
 Confession of Faith and Covenant, and their own 
 Rules of Discipline. They made arrangements to 
 erect a house of worship, and to retaiii it in their 
 own name. They appointed church officers ; they 
 sought a pastor. In all these things there was 
 none to dictate ; no man or body of men could claim 
 the right to intermeddle in their affairs, except as 
 this church might desire their counsel, or their aid. 
 And thus they may go on, if they please, to the end 
 of time. There is the Saybrook Platform, and other 
 forms, but they have no authority over us, except 
 tlie authority of truth ; nothing has authority except 
 the Bible, and whatever we see fit to adopt, as ac- 
 cording with that inspired directory. This church 
 is a perfect republic. The majority rule^ under the 
 Great Head of the Church. Our articles of faith 
 are our oimi belief Our forms of procedure are our 
 own. No body of men stereotype these matters for 
 us, deciding beforehand, perhaps before we were 
 born, what we must believe and practice. If, under 
 the increasing light of God's word and providence, 
 our views of truth and of duty are altered or modified, 
 we can alter our articles and our forms. No human 
 authority may dictate to us in these matters. Those 
 who are unwilling to submit to such a government as 
 
24 CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 this, are unfit to enjoy its privileges ; they have no 
 right to enjoy them ; they should be content to go 
 elsewhere. 
 
 But as men are social beings, so churches should 
 be social. Congregationalists, therefore, adopt the 
 principle of a union of churches.* In respect to the 
 intimacy ^ndi permanency of union, Congregational- 
 ists differ among themselves. In Connecticut this 
 union, with the exception of a few churches, is per- 
 7nanent under the name of Consociation. A Con- 
 sociation is a union of several contiguous churches, 
 with their pastors. At all the meetings of Consocia- 
 tion, every consociated church has a right to be 
 present by its pastor and delegate ; and in these 
 meetings all have equal rights. But the power of 
 the delegates (which is but the power of the people) 
 is almost always greater than that of the clergy ; for 
 there are commonly some churches destitute of set- 
 tled pastors ; and as none but settled pastors have 
 the right of voting in these bodies, the delegates usu- 
 ally outnumber the clergy. Farther than this ; the 
 pastors are themselves, in reality, representatives of 
 the people, for they are the free choice of the people ; 
 they are not imposed upon them by some other 
 power. 
 
 In the meetings of Consociation any question of 
 general interest to the churches is discussed. But 
 this is merely an advisory body ; it has no authority 
 over the individual churches. It is designed to fur- 
 nish mutual counsel and spiritual aid to the churches 
 composing it, and to be a bond of union in interest 
 
 * Upham's Ratio Disciplinae, § 17. (10.") 
 
; AND METHODISM. 25 
 
 and in effort. It has, of course, the right to prescribe 
 the terms on which its privileges are to be enjoyed. 
 
 Besides this body, there are Associations of Min- 
 isters ; the ministers of each particular Consociation. 
 They unite in reference simply to their ministerial 
 duties ; they possess no judicial authority over the 
 churches. There is also a General Association, com- 
 posed of delegates from the local associations. This 
 body is hkewise destitute of all judicial authority. 
 
 With truth, and with emphasis, may it be said of 
 those who enjoy the privileges and blessings of such 
 a system, they are freemen in Christ Jesus. Is not 
 this system dictated alike by reason and by revela- 
 tion ? Does it not recommend itself to every man's 
 judgment, and conscience, and heart ? Who calls 
 this system a yoke of iron ? Who fears to assume 
 such a yoke ? Is it not the yoke of Christ? It bears 
 upon all alike ; for each chiu'ch is composed of mem- 
 bers of the same community ; no one among them, 
 or from abroad, may " lord it over " them. If this is 
 not liberty, what is liberty 7 
 
 Methodists not unfrequently refer to the agency 
 of Consociations in installing and dismissing pastors ; 
 and very incorrect ideas have been entertained re- 
 specting this matter. They seem to regard the 
 povv^ers of a Consociation as analogous, on these 
 points, to those possessed by a Methodist bishop. 
 Now let it be remembered, that a Consociation is 
 'merely an advisory body : that it possesses no judi- 
 cial authority* Of course the decisions of Conso- 
 
 * I am aware that there is some diversity of opinion among 
 Congregationalista respecting the nature and powers of Consociation. 
 
26 CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 elation may differ from the judgment of a particular 
 church, but then its decisions are advice^ and not 
 mandates. If a church persists in its wishes and 
 its views of duty, Consociation pretends to no autho- 
 rity to control it. As no pastor is forced upon a 
 church, so they are not obhged to retain him longer 
 than they themselves consent. If a case occur, se- 
 riously affecting Christian faith or practice, other 
 churches are not bound to remain consociated with a 
 church which is thus delinquent ; though they may 
 not, necessarily, cease to regard it as a church. 
 
 Other denominations, and even some Congrega- 
 tionalists, do not seem to understand the nature of a 
 union of churches, whether in Consociation or other- 
 wise. The general object of a union of churches is 
 similar to that for which Christians are associated 
 i7tto churches — their mutual benefit by advice, watch- 
 fulness, and admonition. The powers of associated 
 churches are those of a Council ; and the peculiarity 
 of a Consociation, by which it is distinguished from 
 any other Council is, it is a standing or permanent 
 Council, securing frequent and regular intercourse 
 of the churches. Few churches out of Connecticut 
 are united in Consociation. If occasions occur, in* 
 churches not consociated, in respect to which the aid 
 of a Council is desired, several churches — more or 
 less — are requested to convene, by their pastors and 
 delegates, in that capacity. In such cases, every 
 Council is confined to the object for v/hich it was 
 called, and ceases to exist at the moment of its ad- 
 
 I have asserted what I suppose to be correct in theory, and in ac- 
 cordance with the commonly received opinions. 
 
AND METHODISM. 27 
 
 journment. A Consociation, on the contrary, is a 
 ^permanent body, composed of all those churches 
 and their pastors which see fit to unite in that rela- 
 tion, for the purpose of promoting the peace, the puri- 
 ty, and the efficiency of the churches. They are thus 
 not left as so many isolated bodies ; there are bonds 
 of union, uniting them together as perfectly as is 
 consistent with the independence of the individual 
 churches. 
 
 This subject may be iUustrated from the political 
 history of our nation. Previous to the adoption of 
 the present Constitution of the United States, there 
 was a union of the States on a principle more loose 
 and inefficient. Experience proved it to be too loose 
 and inefficient to answer the purposes of govern- 
 ment for so extensive a country. It was a confede- 
 ration of several States, with no common head. For 
 the purposes of defence, of revenue, &c., it was found 
 to be utterly inadequate. In order to secure certain 
 great objects the present Constitution was adopted, 
 in which the several States resigned certain rights 
 to the General Government. 
 
 Now, such principles of consolidation under one 
 government, are, manifestly necessary in civil gov- 
 ernment. There must be powe?^, — not the mere 
 power of truth, — hut p)hysical power, — the power to 
 coerce. But in matters of conscience and of religion, 
 it is not so. In respect to these, there may be no 
 power, hilt the poiver of truth and love. Hence, no 
 such system of consolidation is necessary. It is not 
 only unnecessary, but we believe it to involve a 
 violation of the fundamental principles of Christ's 
 
28 CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 kingdom in this world. Intercourse and co-operationtj 
 to a certain extent, are indeed necessary. But we 
 hold it to be sl first principle, that, as every man is to 
 give account of himself to God, no system of church 
 government may be adopted, which places individual 
 9nen or individual churches under the judicial con- 
 trol of others. We are not only endowed with rights^ 
 we are intrusted- with duties and responsibilities, 
 which we may neither transfer to others, nor permit 
 to be merged in a consolidated mass. We find no 
 such examples in the Bible, hut the contrary. 
 Churches are there never spoken of except as i7idi- 
 vidual churches, with their appropriate duties, which 
 they are specifically directed to perform, and how to 
 perform them. If they would secure the approbation 
 of their divine Master, they 7nust retain such an or- 
 ganization as iDill admit of practical obedience. 
 An union like that in our civil government, /or6zc?5 
 the discharge of various duties specified in the Bible ; 
 for that union is formed only by the resignation of 
 certain rights, and the transfer of certain duties. 
 The very object of such an union is, to constitute a 
 power above the individual bodies composing the 
 union. Accordingly, in the Presbyterian Church, for 
 example, the transactions of a particular chiu'ch, 
 (or rather of its officers), are judicially reviewed by 
 the Presbytery with which that church is connected. 
 The transactions of the Presbytery are judicially re- 
 viewed by the Synod ; and these, under the old system, 
 by the General Assembly. The evils of this order 
 of things have been admitted by many Presbyte- 
 rians themselves. Accordingly, the " Constitutional " 
 
AND METHODISM. 29 
 
 General Assembly is only an advisory body ; all j«^- 
 dicial acts terminate in the Synod ; while many 
 leading minds in the Presbyterian Church would 
 prefer that they should terminate in the Presbytery. 
 
 For the Protestant Episcopal .Church the same 
 analogy is claimed with our civil government. I 
 say clai?ned, — but with what truth 7 In that de- 
 nomination, notwithstanding there is a lay represen- 
 tation, the reins of government are in fact held by 
 the clergy. In voting, such principles are acknow- 
 ledged, that nothing can be done without the concur- 
 rent vote of the clergy. In the House of Delegates the 
 clergy, from their privilege (if they choose to assert it) 
 of voting separately from the lay delegates, hold, in 
 fact, a veto power upon every act of the people ; 
 while the bishops possess a veto power over both. 
 
 But what shall be said of the system of Episcopal 
 Methodism ? Its friends claim for that, too, ayialogy 
 loith our civil government ! I'his has been as- 
 serted in this place, and it is boldly set forth in their 
 published works. Now there is, truly, a gradation 
 of poiver, from the class-leader upwards to General 
 Conference. But what is the basis of that power ? 
 and who constitute the bodies by which that power 
 is exercised ? For the present it is enough to say, 
 that not a particle of that power is in the people ; 
 not a representative of the jjeople is found in any 
 ecclesiastical body among them ; not a lay member 
 is found in the General or Annual Conferences ; and 
 if found in any other body, he is appointed, not by 
 the people, but in many cases directly, and in every 
 other case virtually, by the clergy. I design to ex- 
 
30 CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 amine that system, in the proper place, but I refer to 
 it now for the purpose of remarking, that under any 
 system of consoHdation, the right of an ultimate, final 
 decision is taken from the individual churches where 
 it was placed, as we maintain, by the Great Head of 
 the Church. I shall not now re-argue the rights of 
 individual churches, as those who wish to see the ar- 
 gument in a condensed form can obtain it in Congre- 
 gational Tract No. I., the substance of which has 
 been briefly referred to. There our argument is 
 chiefly scriptural ; but if the Scriptures were less ex- 
 plicit on those points, are not the principles which 
 we maintain such as to commend themselves to every 
 man's reason and conscience ? And does not the his- 
 tory of the church warn us against the insidious, but 
 inevitable encroachments of power, unless resisted at 
 the threshold ? Does not the history of the world 
 teach us, that the natural tendency of every govern- 
 ment administered by man is, to accumulate all 
 power within and around itself? It was on this 
 ground that opposition was raised against the adop- 
 tion of our National Constitution. And is not this 
 principle an universal one? May not the spirit of 
 ambition invade the Church as well as the ^tate 7 
 Christians, even the best, are but men, possessed of 
 like passions with other men. The race of Diotre- 
 phes is not yet extinct. Will the peace and purity 
 of the churches be promoted, by transferring the 
 management of them from the hands of those who 
 are most concerned ? Shall we renounce that ab- 
 horred dogma of " the divine right of kings," and yet 
 permit others to " lord it " over us in spiritual matters ? 
 
AND METHODISM. 
 
 31 
 
 Above all, can we improve upon the wisdom of In- 
 spiration ? 
 
 Do such questions as these need to be argued 
 with republicans? Is there any thing more surpris- 
 ing, than that republicans should look with suspicion 
 upon these free principles in church government, and 
 upon those who advocate them ? Is liberty — reU- 
 gious liberty — so fraught with danger ? Is it even 
 odious and irksome ? Why is it so difficult to ob- 
 tain, even from the people, a candid hearing in behalf 
 of these principles ? Why is it that so many minds 
 are, at this moment, ransacking the universe for objec- 
 tions to break the force of these arguments ? More 
 ready to listen to the claims of 3. religious Monarchi/, 
 or of a religious Aristocracy^ than to the claims of 
 religious Republica?iis7n, though urged by the au- 
 thority of Christ ? 
 
 Where, let me now ask, have these principles of 
 Congregationalism prevailed ? I ask this, in order to 
 refer to the manner in which the land where they 
 have especially prevailed, has been designated 
 " The land luhere they hung Quakers and witches /" 
 Do these revilers of New England know the origin 
 of those institutions which render New England the 
 glory of all lands ? Do they know who sowed it, 
 broadcast, with common schools, and with acade- 
 mies, and colleges, and churches ? Do they know 
 what land originated American Missions, home and 
 foreign, and almost every other cause which blesses 
 mankind ? Did they ever hear of Plymouth Rock, 
 and the Charter Oak ; and of Concord, and Lexing- 
 ton, and Bunker Hill ? Do they know that New 
 
32 CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 England kindled the beacon of the Revohition, and 
 furnished, probably, more than half of the men and 
 the money to carry on that contest ? " The land 
 lohere they hung Quakers and witches /" Is that 
 the way to characterize New England, in the pre- 
 sence of those whose fathers suffered and bled for 
 these principles and these privileges ? Is that the 
 way to designate the soil that was fattened, not "only 
 by the ashes of the dwellings of your sires, but by 
 their blood ? 
 
 Who are these revilers of New England ? Where 
 did they originate ? We know the origin of the re- 
 ligious system under which some of them have been 
 trained, and into the spirit of which they have been 
 baptized. Its origin was a man who, however 
 worthy in other respects, showed himself to be, as 
 he declared, " 7io repiihlican^^^ either in religion or in 
 politics. They glory in a system framed by a man 
 who wrote a pamphlet to his followers, while the 
 Revolutionary contest was raging, calling upon them 
 to lay down their arms and submit to his king. Yes, 
 while those who inherited the spirit of our Puritan 
 fathers, were "jeoparding their lives unto death in the 
 high places of the field," the master spirit of their 
 system was calling upon all whom he could influ- 
 ence, to hold out their hands and receive the chains 
 of a foreign despot. 
 
 " The land where they hung Quakers and 
 witches ! "* That slander should blister the tongue 
 
 * The sentiments upon which we are animadverting (and the 
 expression quoted above seems to have been the real text of the dis- 
 courses) were uttered in the presence of one of the most numerous 
 
AND METHODISM. 33 
 
 that utters it. However true it is in fact, never 
 was there a charge more calumnious. This it will 
 be my object to show in its place. 
 
 As we proceed, let no one yield his judgment, 
 where his judgment is not convinced ; but let him 
 yield a candid hearing ; that no argument may be 
 deprived of its force because of some imaginary dif- 
 ficulty at some other point. When we arrive at 
 these different points, it may be found that those 
 difficulties are the result of a total misajyprehension. 
 In this matter we all have common interests, and 
 common responsibilities. I appear as no man's ene- 
 my, but to inquire for truth, and for the path of duty. 
 Why should we not, in these matters, place ourselves 
 at the feet of the Great Teacher? Do any of us 
 presume to place human wisdom and human expe- 
 rience before divine wisdom and divine authority ? 
 I shall endeavor to examine the various principles 
 which I propose to discuss, in the light of revelation. 
 I shall examine them freely ; I shall endeavor to do 
 it candidly. 
 
 Methodist congregations in this region ; and yet not a murmur or a 
 whisper of disapprobation of them has ever reached the public ear 
 from that quarter. Nothing could more strikingly elucidate the spirit 
 and tendency of the system, under the influence of which those audit- 
 ors had been trained. 
 
III. 
 
 " Thus saith the Lord, * Stand ye in the ways and see, and 
 
 ASK FOR the old PATHS, WHERE IS THE GOOD WAY, AND WALK YE 
 THEREIN, AND YE SHALL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS.' " — JeR. 6 : 16. 
 
 " The old Paths" — " Statute Lav/" and " Common Law" — Congregationalism a 
 system — Congregationalism previous to the Reformation — Congregationalism 
 alone secures the ecclesiastical rights of individuals and of individual Churches 
 — Episcopal Methodism an Aristocracy — Tendencies of Clerical Power — 
 Congregationalism the Reformatory Principle. 
 
 It seems to have been a desire for somethiiig 
 new, that led to the commission of the first sin in 
 Paradise, 
 
 " Which brought death into the world, and all our woe," 
 
 This restlessness seems to be a characteristic of 
 the human mind, and most especially of the mind of 
 fallen man. Hence, even the " old paths" of the 
 Bible are often forsaken, that men may follow the 
 guidance of human wisdom and experience. 
 
 In the preceding chapter we took a bird's-eye 
 view of the '• good way" which our fathers trod, and 
 which was marked out for them on the chart of eter- 
 nal truth. It was then remarked, that it appeared 
 exceedingly difficult for those who have been trained 
 under other principles of church order, to understand 
 the true nature of Congregationalism^ and the basis 
 
CONGREGATIONALISM, ETC. 35 
 
 upon which it rests. This always surprises us ; for, 
 to our eyes, nothing appears more simple, either in 
 its principles, or in its operations. 
 
 An illustration occurs which may aid in convey- 
 ing a correct idea of the leading features of Congre- 
 tionalism, and in fastening it upon the memory. 
 
 We often meet with the phrases, '• Statute Law^'^ 
 and " Common LawP 
 
 By the term '' Statute Law," is meant, the laws 
 which are enacted by the state or national legisla- 
 ture. All such laws are formally enacted, and are 
 compiled into codes. All their force depends upon 
 some known act of the legislature. In the applica- 
 tion of these laws, all that is necessary is, to consult 
 the statutes, and follow the letter of the law. 
 
 '• Common Law" is different. Such laws do not 
 originate in acts of a legislature ; neither are they 
 written down in a code, as statute laws are, but are 
 scattered through the records of the courts of justice, 
 and books of reports and judicial decisions, and the 
 treatises of learned men of the legal profession. 
 They are sometimes called the monuments and evi- 
 dences of our legal customs.* If a collection of them 
 should be made, the book containing them would 
 possess no authority^ except as the individual cases 
 of common law have authority. All the authority, 
 all the binding force of these laws would rest upon 
 well known and established principles. 
 
 Nov\^, do not understand me as saying that this 
 illustration holds in every 'particular. A candid 
 mind can perceive my object, and the bearing of the 
 illustration, as we proceed to apply it. 
 
 * Encyplopaedia Americana, Art. Common Law. 
 
36 CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 Most Christian denominations, as the Presbyte 
 rian, Episcopal, and the Methodist, are governed, 
 chiefly — I might, perhaps, say entirely — by what 
 might be termed Statute Law. They have their 
 Books of Discipline, according to which, and accord- 
 ing to which only^ they are guided in all ecclesiastical 
 matters. If a case of church order or of discipline 
 arises, you will hear them constantly referring to 
 " the book ;" by which they mean, their Book of Dis- 
 cipline. In these cases, and in every case, their 
 " books" are as truly statute laws, as legislative en- 
 actments are statute laws in civil matters. There is, 
 indeed, a marked difference, in some important res- 
 pects, between the "books" of different denomina- 
 tions. In the Presbyterian book, the bottom of 
 almost every page is crowded with references to the 
 Bible. With the Methodist Book of Discipline, and 
 for a very good reason, .the case is entirely different. 
 In all that is peculiar to Episcopal Methodism, — its 
 organization and its discipline, — its episcopacy, with 
 three orders, practically, in the ministry, — its powers 
 of the clergy, — its conferences, quarterly, annual, 
 and general, — its bishops, presiding elders, and itin- 
 erant clergy, — its mode of disciplining offending 
 members, — its mode of appointing all officers, and of 
 administering the temporal and spiritual affairs of 
 the church, — its funds, accumulating in the hands of 
 the clergy, — every thing centering in the clergy ; — 
 in respect to all these things, and in respect to 
 every thing bearing upon the peculiarities of Metho- 
 dism, there is not a solitary scriptural reference which 
 possesses even the semblance of a special applica- 
 
AND METHODISM. 37 
 
 TiON to that system. They profess only to be 
 guided by '• experienced* And what is their expe- 
 rience on these subjects ? The experience of a httle 
 more than one hundred years. Truly, such " paths" 
 diYQfar from being "the old paths." 
 
 But however these various Books of Discipline 
 may differ in other respects, they agree in this : they 
 all are statute laws, formally adopted by the appro- 
 priate legislative bodies ; and their authority is 
 practically acknowledged by the people. 
 
 With Congregationalists the matter is entirely 
 different. We have no statute laivs, out of the 
 Bible, except the Confession of Faith and Covenant 
 of each particular church; and these are merely 
 evidences of the manner in which the Bible is under- 
 stood by those adopting them ; and they are adopted, 
 not by others for us, but by the members of the par- 
 ticular churches where they are in force. No human 
 enactment has force in any Congregational church, 
 except what that church sees proper to acknowledge 
 as its own. As Vv^e indignantly shake every human 
 yoke from our necks in civil matters, so we permit 
 no man or body of men to " lord it" over us in reli- 
 gious matters. 
 
 But this feature of Congregationalism, so adapt- 
 ed, as it would seem to recommend itself to every 
 man's reason and conscience, who is not filled with 
 a "love of the pre-eminence," is often objected to, as 
 leaving us upon a floating island, at the caprice of 
 every wind and current of popular excitement and of 
 
 * Book of Discipline, p. 5, edition of 1844, which is the edition 
 unifonnly referred to in this work. 
 
 3 
 
38 CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 popnlat* error. Many look upon us as destitute of 
 fixed ecclesiastical pj^Jiciples, — as possessing no 
 foundation for the security of individual rights, — as 
 exposed to the recklessness of party spirit, to the in- 
 trigues of ambitious and designing men, and to all 
 the wildness of fanaticism in doctrine and in practice. 
 But we maintain that our system is as efficient a 
 safeguard as can be found in this imperfect world ; 
 more safe than others, for we trust alone in the in- 
 spired Word, and what is evidently derived from that 
 infallible source. Is ambition to be mortified by the 
 aggrandizements of power ? Or, is it to be subdued 
 by the magic touch of the triple crown, of a mitre, 
 or of the less gaudy trappings of office and of rank ? 
 Are the interests of the people and of truth safer anp 
 where than with the j?eople themselves? Do not 
 those, who fear to trust the people with the right of 
 self-government, excite the suspicion that they regard 
 themselves as among the favored few upon whom 
 the mantle of authority has fallen ? Are they not 
 the very men whom the providence of God, or some- 
 thing else, will indicate as the guardians of the pub- 
 lic ? Will the rights and interests of the people, 
 individually or collectively, be more secure by com- 
 mitting them to the irresponsible control of the few ? 
 Shall the people be persuaded into the belief that 
 they are not competent to manage their own affairs ? 
 Shall we not libel both reason and revelation, by ad- 
 mitting that neither the one nor the other furnishes 
 the people with fixed principles, upon which they 
 may safely rest? Congregational principles, both in 
 doctrine and in practice, are, in fact, as well estab- 
 
AND METHODISM. 39 
 
 iished as Common Law is established in civil 
 matters. These principles, like common law, are 
 scattered through the history of the church, from the 
 Apostles' time downwards, " in our one Statute 
 Book, the Bible, and in the writings of those who are 
 guided, authoritatively, only by the Bible ; and these 
 are, emphatically, '' the monuments and evidences 
 of our" ecclesiastical "customs." Hence, the princi- 
 ples of Congregational usage have become as estab- 
 lished, as well knoion, and as easily and certainly 
 applied, as the principles ^of Common Laic. In this 
 sense we have a Congregatio7ral system : not a 
 system drawn up and enacted like statute law, cut- 
 ting and stretching and vamping every thing over 
 the last of legal technicalities; but a system vvhich 
 leaves full exercise for the judgment and the con- 
 science. The landmarks of this system are all found 
 in the Bible, marked, as it were, and numbered, and 
 as unchangeable as the iluthor of that blessed Book. 
 Among these principles are, the rights and duties 
 and responsibilities of the individual churches ; the 
 perfect ecclesiastical equality of gospel ministers ; 
 the nature of the pastoral office ; the principles of 
 church discipline, and the fellowship of the churches. 
 These principles, we maintain, are distinctly, — not 
 obscurely, — but distinctly marked in the Bible. 
 We maintain that they are recorded there, not only 
 as the loisdom, but the authority oi God. For ex- 
 ample, the directions for church discipline in the 18th 
 chapter of Matthew, and in the 5th chapter of 1st 
 Corinthians, are authoritative directions. In like 
 manner, for all the leading features of Congregation- 
 
40 CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 alismwe plead divine authority/. Show us that the 
 Bible does not thus teach, or that it teaches differently 
 from these principles, and we are ready to renounce 
 them. But until this is done, argument and ridicule 
 fall 7iot on us, but on the divine Author of this sys- 
 tem. 
 
 There is a sense, then, in which no system of 
 church government is drawn out, fonnally, in the 
 Bible. I say, not drawn out formally ; while, on 
 the contrary, we do maintain that one jjarticidar 
 system is there taught. And it follows, with equal 
 decisiveness and authority, that whatever conflicts 
 with these principles, is forbidden, as conflicting 
 with the mind of the Spirit, and as marring the order 
 of God's house. 
 
 It is easy to perceive, now, the pertinence of my 
 illustration. The system of Congregationalism is, 
 in the main, i?i the form of Common Law. Even 
 the directions of the Bible are, commonly, in this 
 form ; and for the very good reason that the Bible is 
 eminently a practical book. Hence, its directions on 
 these subjects are given, not in the form of human 
 books of discipline, but from time to ti?ne, as circum- 
 staiices created a necessity. But all these direc- 
 tions, which are of general application, are, when 
 once given, of perjjetual obligation. It must be so, 
 or the Bible has no authority, and it ceases to bind 
 the consciences of men.* 
 
 * To guard farther against misapprehension I would add, that no 
 ecclesiastical principle receives force, among us, from the mere fact that 
 it is a commonly received principle. Its only authority is the author- 
 ity of the Scriptures. But the correctness of our understanding of 
 
AND METHODISM. 41 
 
 Now, let us see how these remarks apply in prac- 
 tice. How far do they hold when applied to the 
 Bible? In deciding what are scriptural principles 
 of church order, we need, first, to settle the question. 
 What is a church ? We find in the Bible no formal 
 definition of the term Church ; but what then ? Are 
 we left in the dark respecting its import ? Not at 
 all. The manner in which a church (I speak of 
 what is called an organized church), is always spo- 
 ken of, sheds a perfect flood of light upon its nature. 
 Such a church is ahvays spoken of as a company of 
 believers, associated together for the worship of God, 
 and the observance of Christian ordinances. It is 
 never spoken of in a Avay that conflicts with this idea. 
 This fact ought to settle the question in the mind of 
 every man who takes the Bible for his guide. He 
 finds no example of a church extending over a pro- 
 vince or a country, and including several local church- 
 es, or organizations of Christians ; nothing, not a 
 word that looks like the expression, " The Church 
 of the U?dted States of America. ^^ If any think dif- 
 ferently, it becomes them to point out the passage 
 which throws other light upon the subject, which has 
 the api^earance, at least, of conflicting with our posi- 
 tion. The word church is used more than seventy 
 
 the Scriptures may be confirmed, in a measure, by the coucurrent 
 views and testimony of good men, from the Apostles' time, downward ; 
 and by the evident approbation of the divine Author of the Scriptures ; 
 just as the historical arguments for Infant Baptism and for the change 
 of the day of the Sabbath, are confirmed by such concurrent testimony 
 and blessing ; and just as Congregational common law on those sub- 
 jects, is established ; while the only authoriiy which we plead in res- 
 pect to them, is inspired authority. 
 
42 CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 times in the Scriptures ; and in about twenty it is 
 used in a spiritual sense, as including all the sancti- 
 fied. In all other cases, in all cases where a visible 
 organization is intended, the term is, indisputably, 
 purely local in its application. The word churches 
 is used thirty-four times ; and, from its very form, 
 (the plural,) can have only a local application. 
 
 The next question is : What are the rights, and 
 duties, and responsibilities, of these particular church- 
 es? One distinct and fundamental principle is, that 
 none, either individuals or bodies of men, may " lord 
 it" over others. Read the New Testament with your 
 eye fixed on this point, and you will find that each 
 particular church managed its own afl^airs, authori- 
 tatively and finally. Is an officer needed ? He is 
 chosen by the brethren. Is a warning uttered against 
 error, or against erroneous teachers ? It is addressed 
 not only to individual men, but the Spirit speaketh 
 expressly, " to the churches P Is a case of discipline 
 to be decided? If individual effort fail of success, 
 the specific direction is, ^'-tell it to thechurch^ Equal- 
 ly specific is the direction for the church to assemble, 
 for the purpose of hearing and deciding the matter. 
 These directions (with, at most, but few exceptions) 
 are not drawn oat in the form of statutes. They are 
 given in the form of " maxims ;" or are the directions 
 for particular cases, or are the records of those cases ; 
 in other words, they are in the form of common law. 
 But they are, nevertheless, laws., the recorded laws 
 of God's house ; possessing all the authority that be- 
 longs to the word of God. And, as shedding addi- 
 tional light, we have Paul's commentary upon a par- 
 
AND METHODISM. . 43 
 
 ticular case, showing how the thing actually ivas 
 done ; that it was done by the majority ; that 
 principle wiiich some in our times delight to reproach. 
 If a case arises which transcends the wisdom of any- 
 particular church, the Bihle points out a coimcil (Acts 
 XV.) as the proper means, next after the Bible, for 
 gaining light ; and its decisions are to he regarded 
 as lights i. e. as advice. So that chapter teaches. We 
 read, indeed, in our translation of that passage, the 
 word "decrees," but the original word does not neces- 
 sarily imply human authority. That decision was 
 to be regarded as the mind of the Spirit, and not as 
 human dictation. 
 
 Now, I appeal with confidence to the candor of 
 any intelligent reader of the Bible, atid ask. Are not 
 these principles of church order clearly marked out 
 in that sacred book ? If we are to follow the Bible 
 as onr guide in these matters, need we, ca7i we re- 
 main at a loss respecting the path of duty ? Are not 
 these principles of church order fundamental in any 
 system, which justly claims to be derived from the 
 Scriptures ? 
 
 It is not necessary to dwell longer upon these 
 points. My object at this time has been to show in 
 what sense the Congregational system is a Scriptural 
 system, and how its ]H'inciples are to be applied. 
 Equally clear is it, that any system which conflicts 
 with these principles, is, on these points^ anti-Scrip- 
 tural. 
 
 In tracing the history of the church since the 
 times of the Apostles, we are to be guided by these 
 landmarks. As we read, we discover that the church 
 
44 CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 became more and more corrupted from the simplicity 
 which was in Christ ; and we find that its departure 
 from these j)Tmciples is the measure of its corrup- 
 tion. To trace the church through all the stages of 
 its downward course, would be to transcribe a volume 
 of church history. The object of this Avork is to deal 
 in principles^ giving only so much of particulars as 
 is necessary to illustrate those principles. The pre- 
 vious illustration and remarks apply, with special 
 force and pertinence, to our ecclesiastical system, as 
 found in books and records of mere human origin. 
 In respect to these it is literally true that we have no 
 statute laios. Wc have no book of discipline, like 
 some other denominations, uniting Congregational 
 Churches under one code of laws. We go to no book 
 of human origin, and to no body of men, to learn 
 authoritatively what we must believe or practice. 
 We do not regard ourselves as above learning from 
 the wisdom of others. Accordingly, we endeavor to 
 gather wisdom wherever we can find it. We learn 
 from the primitive churches, so far as they are com- 
 petent witnesses of apostolical practice. We learn 
 from the few scattered lights which God preserved 
 amidst the dark ages. W^e learn from the Reformers, 
 and those who followed after, from Wickliife down- 
 wards ; trying all, however, by the only in fallible 
 test^ the sacred Scriptures. We frequently consult 
 the Presbyterian Book of Discipline. 
 
 In process of time certain principles have come 
 to be well known and admitted^ and hence estab- 
 lished as Congregational principles. They 
 have been gathered into compilations ; what might 
 
AND METHODISM. 45 
 
 be called Digests of Congregational Common 
 Law. Among these are the Cambridge Platform, 
 the Saybrook Platform, Cotton's Keys of the King- 
 dom of Heaven, Hooker's Way of the Churches, and 
 more recently, Upham's Ratio Disciplinse, or the 
 Constitution of Congregational Churches. Bearing 
 in mind the distinction between statute and common 
 law, we can easily understand in Avhat light we are 
 to regard such books as the Saybrook Platform. They 
 were in their day, and still are, though perhaps in a 
 somewhat modified sense, commonly received Con- 
 gregational principles ; to be judged of, however, by 
 every church for itself, in view of their accountability 
 to the great Head of the Church ; for these books lay 
 no claim to the nature of statute law, binding the 
 consciences of men to implicit obedience ; especially 
 while the word and providence of God are shedding 
 increasing light upon the path of duty, in the ever 
 varying circumstances of particular cases. Perhaps 
 it should be added, that the Confessions of Faith are 
 regarded as possessing more of authority ; but it is 
 because they are regarded as containing, in a con- 
 densed form, the fundamental doctrines of the Bible. 
 Still, no one of them is to be considered, except in a 
 general sense, as the Confession of Faith of a par- 
 ticular church, until adopted by that church. 
 
 Let us pause here, and contrast the system of 
 Congregationalism with the systems of those denom- 
 inations, which are imited under one book of disci- 
 pline. 
 
 It is the theory of Presbyterianism, that all the 
 Presbyterian churches in the United States are unit- 
 
 3* 
 
45 CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 ed under one code of laws, as truly as the several 
 slates of the Union are united under the Constitution 
 of the United States. Their book of disciphne can be 
 altered only by the General Assembly ; the alleratioii 
 being ratified by a particular proportion of all the 
 Presbyteries. Every church, and every member of 
 every church, is ruled by this book of discipline, 
 while he remains a member of a Presbyterian 
 church. But in all the meetings of the various ec- 
 clesiastical bodies composing the Presbyterian Church 
 of the United States of America, the people have a 
 representation from among men of their own choice. 
 Voting is always performed by joint ballot, so that 
 every vote has its full force. 
 
 In the Protestant Episcopal Church different 
 principles prevail, both in respect to the organization 
 of ecclesiastical bodies, and in the manner of voting. 
 The House of Bishops constitutes a separate body, 
 and of course votes separately. The clerical and 
 lay deputies may also vote separately. Hence, in the 
 lower house, the clergy may have a veto power over 
 all acts of the laity, while the bishops possess a veto 
 power over both. However the people may be dis- 
 posed "to thrust against the wall," they are held in 
 whh " bit and bridle."* 
 
 * It is urged in favor of this sj'Stem, that the House of Bishops is 
 analogous to the United Stales Senate. There may bean analogy in 
 respect to form, but where is the analogy in fact ? The members of 
 the U. S. Senate are, in reality, though not directly, chosen by the peo- 
 ple, and are regularly returned to the people for re-election or substi- 
 tution, by the representatives of the people. Here, at the very gist of 
 the matter, the analogy fails ; for the clergy have a veto power upon 
 every act of the laity, in the election of bishops. And in the ordina" 
 
AND METHODISM. 47 
 
 When we come to examine, in detail, the theory 
 and practice of Methodist Episcopacy, we shall find 
 statute law with a witness, in which the people have 
 not a vestige, not even the semblance of power. 
 That system has placed all ecclesiastical poioer in 
 the hands of the itinerant clergy^ and has secured 
 it there. The people are saddled and bridled, and 
 mounted ;* for it is one of the pecu iarities of that 
 system that, not onl}' is ever)^ thing placed at the 
 irresponsible control of the clergy, alone, but it is 
 placed beyond the reach of the j)eople. '' The Gen- 
 
 tion of the clergy, there is no direct act of the people ; they may " give 
 information," and they may protest, and thus delay, but not finally pre- 
 vent the act of the bishop. What honesty is there in pleading this 
 analogy ? Its only effect is to blind and mislead the thoughtless. 
 
 * This expression was employed in the original discussion, and 
 great complaint has been made on account of it. It was not my ob- 
 ject to wound the feelings of any, but to exhibit the truth, clearly, and 
 in a way that it might he remembered. However, as offence has been 
 taken, I would prefer to alter this and a few similar expressions, were 
 it not that such extreme efforts have been made to prejudice the public 
 mind, by captious criticism, and by attempts to excite public sympa- 
 thy by puerile complaints and false representations. I prefer, therefore, 
 if this work go before the public at all, that these expressions appear 
 without any essential alteration either in their /orm or connexion. 
 
 But after all, what is the justice of the complaint ? All know that 
 the expression is simply figurative ; and it is a figure derived from the 
 Bible, implying moral restraint and subjection. The figure had just 
 been employed, in a case where it was far less expressive. In the 
 progress of the argumient, and especially where there was sacA progress, 
 a holder use of the figure was demanded. The question, therefore, is 
 purely one oi taste; and the fact that all the complaint has been ex- 
 pended upon the form of the expression, as if to turn off attention 
 from the great principle at issue, proves that whatever may be 
 thought of its dress, the expression in its essence is well founded and 
 unanswerable. 
 
48 CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 eral Conference" (which is composed of the itinerant 
 clergy alone) " shall h3.YefuU jjoivers to make rules 
 and regulations for our church ;" limited only on six 
 points;* and on Jive of these it is limited only by 
 these same clergy in the Annual Conferences. One 
 of these five points is " the plan of our itinerant 
 general superintendency," — a very modest phrase, 
 but containing a volume ; a volume, however, which 
 might be comprised in a very few words, thus : " We 
 are no republicans, and never intend to 6e,"t therefore 
 no change shall ever he made in our system of 
 church government^ impairing the sovereign poioer 
 of the itinerant clergy. On o?ze point, and that a funda- 
 mental one, there may be, positively, no change, viz.; 
 in " the Articles of Religion." The Methodist articles 
 of faith are stereotyped for all future generations. 
 There is no room left for judgment or conscience, on 
 the part of the people ; they must " believe," or leave 
 the church. 
 
 To all these principles, let them be found where 
 they may, Congregationalists object, and for a variety 
 of reasons. We object to them as violating the lib- 
 erty of freemen in Christ Jesus. If these things are 
 not lording it over Christ's heritage, we can attach 
 no meaning to the words of the Apostle. Congrega- 
 tionalists object even to Presbyterian statute law, as 
 conflicting with duties which have been assigned 
 to the local churches, and with the free exercise and 
 enjoyment of individual rights. Much more do they 
 object to a system which places the entire church, 
 in all its members and interests^ beneath the control 
 * Dis. pp. 21, 22. t Wesley. 
 
AND METHODISM. 49 
 
 of a self-constituted hierarchy. We have 7iot so 
 learned Christy or the spirit of his Gospel. It is an 
 usurpation of power which Apostles never exercised 
 or claimed. The Apostles directed the management 
 of the churches, ojily as the inspired teachers of the 
 will of their divine Head. They were no autocrats ; 
 they ruled by no powers inherently possessed. They 
 spoke by authority, indeed ; not in a judicial or exe- 
 cutive capacity, but simply as inspired to declare the 
 duty of others. Is an act of discipline required? 
 The Apostles do not perform it ; on the contrary, 
 they point it out as the duty of the Church. And 
 when their own teachings were tested by the Scrip- 
 tures, they commended the act. They commanded 
 that the doctrines of religious teachers be tried 
 Avhether they were of God. Where does the Bible 
 authorize any uninspired man, or class of men, to 
 stereotype the faith of others for all coming time ? 
 Where does it permit us to yield our faith to such 
 assumptions of power ? 
 
 But the history of the Church warns us against 
 all such principles of man's devising, as paving the 
 way for farther encroachments of error, and corrup- 
 tion, and power ; and as preparing the Church for 
 fanaticism on the one hand, or for a dead formalism 
 on the other. It is claimed, indeed, for these statu- 
 tory systems, that they are necessary safeguards 
 against error. Now it must be admitted, that the 
 Bible itself is not a safeguard against error, to any 
 but the humble in heart. Where depravity has not 
 been subdued by the cross. Truth will not always 
 maintain its sway. He who is willing to be taught 
 
50 CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 of God J shall know of his doctrine. The Scriptures, 
 and the Scriptures alone, in the hands of the Spirit, 
 are ahle to make men wise unto salvation. As far, 
 therefore, as dependence is placed upon any system 
 of man's wisdom or authority, so far men are re- 
 moved from the simplicity of the Gospel, so far God's 
 word is dishonored, so far the sword of the Spirit is 
 permitted to rust in its scabbard, so far, in short, the 
 very tendency of things is, to draw off attention and 
 confidence from the Bible. Just as the use of a cru- 
 cifix in religious worship, calls off the mind from 
 him who was slain for us, so the interposition of any 
 human authority, as authority^ tends to weaken the 
 practical authority of the Bible. This proposition is 
 a self-evident truth. Lotus see how it is verified by 
 facts. 
 
 Not to dwell upon the evidence that some had 
 begun, even in the Apostles' time, to yield themselves 
 to the guidance of particular leaders, not only such 
 as Apollos and Cephas, but a Diotrephes, who loved 
 to have the pre-eminence, — not to dwell upon these 
 things, we find that soon the authority of individu- 
 als, and more especially of Councils^ was employed 
 to mould and stamp the faith of the churches. The 
 questions. What is truth ? and what is error ? were 
 decided by names, and numbers, and councils. 
 Every thing was settled less by the Bible than by 
 human opinions and decisions, expressed in creeds 
 and councils : and as the clergy, generally, in 
 many cases exclusively, composed these councils, 
 their power rapidly accumulated. As an illustration 
 of the tendency of human ambition to grasp power, 
 
AND METHODISM. 51 
 
 not only ecclesiastical, but civil and "pecuniary^ we 
 may refer to the fact that, in England, in the time of 
 Wickliffe, two hundred years before Luther, more 
 than one-half of all the lands in the kingdom were 
 in the possession of the clergy.* The true Protestant 
 principle is. The Bible is the alone and all- 
 sufficient AUTHORITY IN MATTERS OF RELI- 
 GION. And when individuals or churches^ allow 
 others to form their creeds and books of discipline 
 — indeed just so far as men resign their rights and 
 duties to others — have they not just so far departed 
 from the true principles of the Reformation ? And, 
 what is more, have they not just so far departed from 
 the Bible ? What was the germ of Popery, but the 
 pretended right of the clergy to prescribe the faith of 
 the people ? There are different ways, indeed, of 
 coercing the faith of men ; but ail these different 
 ways are but the consequences of that first principle 
 in Popery, viz., the divine right of the clergy to pre- 
 scrihe articles of religion for the people. The evi- 
 dence of this truth is not merely an accumulation of 
 isolated facts ; though that might be sufficient. It is 
 a connected chain of facts, as easily traced as the 
 thread in the ancient labyrinth. 
 
 The soil that germinated the seeds of Popery, was 
 that spirit of Diotrephes, who loved to have the pre- 
 eminence. As the number of such men increased, 
 they associated together in councils, not Congrega- 
 tional councils^ for the purpose of giving advice^ 
 when their advice was asked ^ — but assembling in 
 
 * Purchard'B Hist. Cong. p. 149. 
 
52 CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 their own names, and legislating for the people. It 
 was in this way that ceremonies and forms of wor- 
 ship were fixed, and creeds and articles of religion 
 established. By degrees the power was assumed to 
 enforce, or to secure the enforcement of pains and 
 penalties ; till, at length, all civil power as well as 
 ecclesiastical, was, in effect, concentrated in a hier- 
 archy. By open influence or by private intrigue, they 
 controlled the destinies of nations. To give this power 
 of the clergy the greater efiect, the doctrine oifurga- 
 tory was invented. As they had taken the con- 
 sciences of mankind into their keeping, they desired 
 something to compensate them for the trouble of this 
 " oversight." No means could have been devised 
 more eflicient than that doctrine. By these means 
 they held, in the fullest sense, the keys of the kingdom 
 of heaven. The next step Avas, the doctrine of Ab- 
 solution ; for the idea that they were the authorized 
 legislators in matters of faith, standing thus between 
 God and the creature, — this idea paved the Avay for 
 them to usurp the prerogative of God in the remission 
 of sins. But as the human body is imperfect without 
 a head, so a hierarchy is imperfect without a head, 
 and the system v/as completed by the creation of a 
 Pope. 
 
 Thus we may trace this river of error either way, 
 from the obscure spring in the mountain downwards 
 to the ocean ; or from the ocean backwards to the 
 spring ; and that spring is the jfrincvple ichich led to 
 the enactment of ecclesiastical statutes ; one class of 
 men deciding, authoritatively, for others in matters of 
 religion. 
 
AND METHODISM. 53 
 
 Opposition to this usurpation constitutes the grand 
 feature of Congregationahsm. " The Bible, and the 
 Bible only,^'' is our motto ; no human authority may 
 legislate for us, in matters of religion. And it is in- 
 structive to notice, how the providence of God has 
 preserved the spirit of this motto against all the gates 
 of hell. Never has there been a time without wit- 
 nesses for this truth. Not only were individuals 
 found in difterent ages of the Church, maintaining 
 the simplicity of the Gospel, but various sects, as they 
 were called, arose from time to time, renouncing more 
 or less of the cumbersome weights of human author- 
 ity, and falling back upon the naked simplicity of the 
 Scriptures. Among these were the Novatians, the 
 Paulicians, the Albigenses, and the Waldenses. 
 There were also those in the darkest ages, who were 
 called the '• Cathari ;" i. e. the piu'e, (for that is the 
 meaning of the word,) a term derived from their claim- 
 ing to worship more purely by the word of God. 
 
 But this name Cathari is to us of pecuhar inter- 
 est. It is the very name, in meaning, with that of 
 Puritan, and originated in essentially the same v/ay ; 
 for the Puritans were so named because they wished 
 to purify the Church from the corruptions of human 
 customs and human authority. All reformations are, 
 necessarily, in the outset, imperfect ; they may even 
 be mingled v/ith much that is positively erroneous. 
 But no fact, in all the pages of history, stands out 
 more prominently than this, viz., in all real and im- 
 portant reformations in th~ Church, the leading 
 features of Congregationalism have constituted 
 their basis. That fact is at once an illustration of 
 
54 CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 the importance of these prhiciples, and a demonstra- 
 tion of their Scriptural character and authority. And 
 it could not be otherwise ; for if error commences in a 
 departure from the Bible, reformation is but a re- 
 tracing of those steps, a return to the pure fountain 
 of Truth. 
 
 If tlie preceding remarks and arguments are based 
 in, or are in accordance with the Bible, we may de- 
 cide how far a very common assertion is in accord- 
 ance with truth, viz., " That no system of church 
 governnient is taught m the Bihle.'^ It is true that 
 no system is drawn out in formal propositions ; but 
 is there no other way of teaching than by formal 
 propositions and definitions ? Has it not been shown 
 that principles of church order are taught, and in the 
 very manner that almost every thing else is there 
 taught? Sometimes by general^ and sometimes by 
 specific statements of principles, of duties, aud of ex- 
 amples? An orderly arrangement of these scriptural 
 instructions, constitutes a system^ and that system, 
 is Congregationalism. The assertion which we 
 are considering, originated in an overlooking of the 
 obvious distinction between statute and common 
 law? 
 
 In closing these remarks, may I not ask, with 
 earnestness, Do not these principles of Congregation- 
 alism, and the basis upon which they rest, commend 
 themselves to us, as founded in reason and in the 
 word of God ? Is not their practical utility most 
 apparent ? Do they not lead the mind, at once and 
 effectually, from the impure fountains of human wis- 
 dom to the w^ell-spriug of Inspiration? What is 
 
AND METHODISM. 55 
 
 the abhorred popish doctrine of obedience to tra- 
 dition, but obedience to human authority? Where- 
 in does it differ, in principle, from the authority 
 which, under any form, assumes the right to legis- 
 late, ecclesiastically, for others ; whether in creeds 
 or in books of discipline ? Who will pronounce it 
 " sectarianism''' in me, to explain and defend the prin- 
 ciples which I have espoused? Are they not parts of 
 "the counsel of God," — portions of "the faith which 
 was once delivered uiUo the saints," — which we may 
 not '-shun to declare?" And is the duty less imper- 
 ative to 7'eceive them, and to '• contend earnestly'^ in 
 their defence? Who is excused from that duty? 
 Who may plead attachment to any forms of human 
 origin, and remain deaf or disobedient to Him who 
 speaks through the divine Oracles ? 
 
 '• Stand,''^ therefore, " in the tvays and see, and 
 ask for the old paths, where is the good ivay, and 
 walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your sonls" 
 
IV. 
 
 " He shall turn .... the hearts of the children to their 
 FATHERS." Mai. 4:6. 
 
 The Reformation— Luther- -Wickliffe— Condition of the Church— Church and 
 State — How united — Who was Wicklifte — What were his Principles — His 
 Times — The Puritans — " The Independents." 
 
 The principles of Congregationalism, and the 
 character of our fathers who brought these princi- 
 ples to light, and reduced them to practice, after they 
 had lain buried for ages in the rubbish of Popery, 
 have been laboring alike under the effects of an ill- 
 founded and most unjust prejudice. There are those, 
 even among the descendants of the Puritans, who 
 are far from being familiar with these principles, and 
 who are filled with these unfavorable prejudices. 
 Those who cannot command the time or the means 
 of reading extensive histories, will find themselves 
 interested and instructed by a perusal of Congrega- 
 tional Tract No. II. They will there find an epi- 
 tome of the origin, the history, and the operation of 
 Congregationalism drawn out in a way that abridges 
 the labor of accomplishing my present design, I 
 shall, therefore, dwell less upon particular facts, call- 
 ing attention, mainly, to the principles in which 
 these facts originated. 
 
CONGREGATIONALISM, ETC. 57 
 
 The subject of the last chapter was, the Nature 
 and Scriptural origin of Congregationalism. It 
 was there shown, that the manner in which the Bible 
 teaches the principles of Church order, is not with 
 the formality of statute law, like most human sys- 
 tems ; but by examples, and maxims, and specific 
 duties, given from time to time, according to circum- 
 stances, and in the form of common rather than of 
 statute law ; and that in this form they are as fixed 
 and intelligible as the other instructions of the Bible ; 
 this being the form in which the Bible generally 
 imparts its instructions. We have glanced at the 
 evil consequences which followed the exercise of 
 human wisdom and authority, in framing statute 
 laws for the Church. In proof of these evils and of 
 their origin, we glanced over the history of the 
 Church, and found that error and corruption, in doc- 
 trine and in practice, followed just in proportion as 
 the feiu assumed the right to legislate for the many ; 
 that this aristocratic right is a violation of the fun- 
 damental principles of the Gospel, leading naturally 
 and directly to the gates of spiritual despotism and 
 spiritual death. It was remarked, also, as an indis- 
 putable fact, that every attempt at essential reforma- 
 tion, at whatever time and by whomsoever made, 
 was a return to the essential principles of Congrega- 
 tionalism. This fact will be rendered more apparent 
 as we prosecute our object. 
 
 Rejoicing as we do in the light of the Great Re- 
 formation, most turn to Luther as the luminary who, 
 under God, dispelled the gloom of the dark ages ; 
 most turn only to Luther as the voice of Him who 
 
58 CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 said, '' Let there be light." And yet more than a 
 century and a half before the time of Luther, the 
 dawn of that glorious day had appeared in the land 
 of our fathers ; when every essential feature of the 
 Reformation under Luther was distinctly unfolded. 
 Some principles were then even inore distinctly un- 
 folded than they were by the great German Reform- 
 er. By noticing these facts as fully as space will 
 permit, in connection with the then existing and 
 preceding state of things in England, we may best 
 perceive the true origin and nature of Congregation- 
 alism. 
 
 John WicklifFe was born in England, one hun- 
 dred and fifty-nine ^^ears before Martin Lutlier was 
 born in Germany. A careful perusal of the liistory of 
 those times will powerfully suggest the inquiry, 
 whether England, and all who speak the English 
 language, and all who feel the influence of those who 
 speak it, are not /ar more indebted to Wick! iff e 
 than to Luther. By refreshing our minds with the 
 leading facts which rendered the Reformation neces- 
 sary, not only in religion but in politics, we shall 
 be furnished with an intelligible answer to that 
 question. 
 
 The clergy had commenced their usurpations by 
 taking the consciences of the people under their care 
 and control. In the latter part of the fourth century, 
 the Bishop of Rome had reached the chief seat 
 among the bishops of Christendom. In the eighth 
 century, the Pope became a temporal prince ; and 
 from that time he strode rapidly forward in the ac- 
 quisition of power, till he became, in fact, universal 
 
AND METHODISM. 
 
 59 
 
 sovereign ; for kings and emperors received their 
 crowns from his hands, and were subject to his 
 will. 
 
 The process seemed to be this. As the clergy, 
 and especially the Pope, held the keys of heaven, it 
 was a small matter that they should hold those 
 of earth. Indeed, as every temporal interest should 
 be regarded as subordinate to the interests of eternity, 
 and of the kingdom of God, it was reasonable that 
 those who control the o/ze, should control the other. 
 Necessarily connected with these ideas of ecclesias- 
 tical power, was another respecting the nature of ex- 
 communication. It was this ; excommunication 
 was the veritable pronouncing of the curse of God, 
 and a withdrawal of the divine favor and protection. 
 Hence it followed that the subjects of an excommu- 
 nicated prince Avere absolved from all allegiance to 
 him ; indeed, allegiance to him w^as treason against 
 heaven. 
 
 But the power which could absolve men from one 
 duty, could absolve them from an?/ other ; and the 
 power which could absolve froin duty, could par- 
 don sin ; or, what was the same thing practically, 
 cowXdi pronounce its pardon. -This power over "the 
 keys of heaven," was the power to prescribe the 
 terms of admission within the celestial gates. It 
 was the authority to prescribe not only what men 
 ought to believe, but what they must believe. Hence, 
 to differ in belief from these heaven authorized in- 
 structors was rebellion against God. This implied 
 that they were infallible ; for the authority to teach 
 what men must believe should be infallible. But 
 
60 CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 whatever is moral truth to-day will remain truth 
 to-morrow and forever. Hence arose the authority 
 of tradition, in which men are the channels of God's 
 unwritten instructions. In short, the supreme au- 
 thority of the priesthood in all matters, became fully 
 established. For ages the people had been taught 
 these leading principles of the Catholic Church ; and 
 not only these, but the doctrine of transubstantiation, 
 or the real presence of Christ in the Lord's Supper, 
 in the administration of which, the bread only was 
 given to the people. Confession to the priest was 
 insisted on, by which every thing was laid open to 
 the clergy, enabling them to manage all affairs at 
 their will. More firmly to bind the priesthood togeth- 
 er, and to their common head, they were forbidden 
 to marry ; and extensive orders or societies of them 
 were established, having no fixed residences^ and 
 no bonds to bind them to the people ; going at the 
 bidding of their 7?iaster, and perfoi^ming his will. 
 These men were the confessors of the rich, as well 
 as of the poor, and they often became the inheritors 
 of immense possessions. At one period, the Pope re- 
 ceived from England an annual revenue five times 
 greater than that received by the king.* 
 
 While men were thus bound as in fetters of brass, 
 the key of knoAvledge was prohibited, as if to con- 
 sign them to perpetual debasement. We can thus 
 form some idea of the difficulty with which a re- 
 formation must be commenced. Political and social 
 degradation combined with ignorance and supersti- 
 tion to suppress all free investigation. To believe 
 * Punchard's Hist. Cong., p. 149. 
 
AND METHODISM. Ql 
 
 any thing contrary to the church was heresy ; and 
 the penalty of that was death. 
 
 From these facts it is easy to see where a re- 
 formation must co?nnience, if it commence at all. 
 It must commence with the right of the people 
 to think for themselves ; and that was a civil as 
 well as a religious right. This ivas the startifig 
 poiJit. This was the corner-stone. There could be 
 no civil right which did not involve, or which was 
 was not based in, a religious right. This is the key 
 to the right understanding of the origin and nature 
 of Cojigregatio?talisni, as facts incontestably show. 
 Every fact shows that religious right lies at the 
 foundation of civil liberty^ and not civil liberty 
 at the foundation of religious right. It will be 
 easy to prove, (and we shall soon introduce the wit- 
 nesses,) that the principles of Congregationalism were 
 the seed from which sprung the glorious harvest 
 which we are now reaping. It will appear that the 
 institutions which it is our boast to style American^ 
 did not spring up in some unaccountable way, — 
 hatched from the brain of persecuting fanatics, to 
 oppose and destroy whom would be doing good 
 service both to God and man. In no age and in no 
 nation, have the institutions of civil and religious 
 liberty gained permanent and important triumphs 
 over tyranny, and infidelity, and superstition, except 
 as the contest has been waged under a banner em- 
 blazoned with these principles. 
 
 I have referred to WicklifFe. WJlo was Wick- 
 liffe 1 He was born in Yorkshire, England, in or 
 about the year 1324. He was educated at Oxford 
 
 4 
 
(32 CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 University, where he became distinguished for his 
 talents and learning ; was honored with the degree of 
 D.D., (which implied something in those days,) and 
 was created a Professor in the University. He was 
 distinguished for his knowledge of the philosophy of 
 the times ; of the canon and civil laws, and especially 
 of the Scriptures. 
 
 Wliat brought him, into notice 7 
 
 Here we must go back a little. John, King of 
 England, had quarrelled with the Pope, about the 
 year 1200, respecting the right to appoint to import- 
 ant ecclesiastical offices in England. The Pope ex- 
 communicated him, and laid the whole land under 
 the effect of the excommunication. Religious ser- 
 vices were mostly suspended — the dead were buried 
 without religious ceremonies — the Sacraments were 
 neglected — and the whole land seemed hung in sack- 
 cloth. John was compelled to submit ; and in order 
 to regain the Pope's favor, he resigned his dominions 
 to his Holiness, to be received again at his hands, to 
 be held as tributary to him, and for which one thou- 
 sand marks of silver were to be paid annually. 
 
 During the next reign, the exactions of the Pope 
 increased. Foreign clergy came into the possession 
 of the most important and lucrative benefices, the in- 
 come of which was equal to two hundred thousand 
 dollars annually — a sum which in those days was 
 enormous ; and the legate of the Pope is said to have 
 carried more money out of the kingdom at one time 
 than he left in it.* The whole kingdom lay groan- 
 ing under these exactions, and bleeding at every pore. 
 
 * Piinrhard's Hist. Cong. 
 
AND METHODISM. g3 
 
 Such were the circumstances which, under God, 
 raised up John Wickhffe. Various individuals had 
 appeared from time to time, who raised their voices 
 against these oppressions, but httle was accomplished 
 till Wickliffe arose. As early as 1356, at thirty-two 
 years of age, he began in good earnest his opposition 
 to Papal authority. Immediately after, we find him 
 actively opposing the itinerant clergy, Avho were the 
 agents and tools of the Pope. As a consequence of 
 this, he was expelled from an important station which 
 he occupied in the University at Oxford. 
 
 About this time, Edward III. began to oppose the 
 tribute which king John had permitted to be imposed 
 upon the Crown of England. Wickliffe took up his 
 pen against the payment of it, and opposing the right 
 of the Pope to exact it ; and was thus brought to 
 take a decided part in ecclesiastical politics. He 
 boldly and explicitly charged the Pope with simony, 
 with covetousness, ambition, and tyranny ; and even 
 styled him Antichrist. Of course Wickliffe was 
 pronounced a heretic. Nineteen articles of false doc- 
 trine were charged against him ; three bulls were 
 issued, requiring him to be seized and imprisoned ; 
 and the necessary steps were taken to root out the 
 heresy. For a while he was protected by the gov- 
 ernm.ent and by the people; and in the mean time he 
 applied himself with increasing zeal to the task of 
 undermining, by his preaching and writings, the 
 power of the Pope. Though this protection was at 
 length Avithdravv^i, yet he was permitted by Provi- 
 dence to die a natural death ; but his bones were dug 
 up and burnt a few yeais afterwards, and the ashes 
 
64 CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 thrown into a river. His followers experienced the 
 usual tender mercies of Rome. Sir John Oldcastle 
 (Lord Cobham, as he is called) was burnt on a 
 charge of treason ; but really a victim of Papal wrath 
 for his efforts to spread the doctrines of Wickliffe. 
 
 The writings of Wickliffe were carried into Ger- 
 many, and were there the means of the conversion 
 of John Huss, who was burnt by the Council of Con- 
 stance, and who kindled up a fire which spread 
 through Germany one hundred years before the time 
 of Luther. 
 
 The grand features of Wickliffe's reformation 
 were, first and prominently, opposition to the Pope, 
 and to all ecclesiastical authority ; for he contended 
 earnestly that the clergy were not to be forced upon 
 the people, nor to be maintained by them, except vol- 
 imtarily. The next step respected the nature and 
 organization of a church. Indeed, this was the first 
 step in the order of nature, though perhaps not in the 
 order of time. And here we find brought out thus 
 early the leading features of Congregationalism, as 
 taught by Wickliffe, viz., that a church is composed 
 of professing Christians, who can assemble in one 
 place ; that Christ is the only Head of the Church ; 
 that we must practice and teach only the laws of 
 Christ ; that it is not lawful for a Christian, after 
 the full publication of the law of Christ, to devise., 
 himself, any other laws for the government of the 
 Church ; in short, that the Scriptures are our only 
 authority in matters of religion. He taught expli- 
 citly that there are but two classes of officers in the 
 church, ministers and deacons. Says an Episcopal 
 
AND METHODISM. 65 
 
 historian : ''If Wickliffe had been permitted to reform 
 our church, his work, in all probability, would nearly 
 have anticipated the labors of Calvin ; and the Pro- 
 testantism of England might have pretty closely re- 
 sembled the Protestantism of Geneva."* But we 
 cannot dwell upon the origi?i of our principles as we 
 desire ; we must turn to their tendency/ and results. 
 
 We have seen how civil and ecclesiastical mat- 
 ters were commingled, to the annihilation of the 
 rights of the people. To admit that the peojjle pos- 
 sessed rights, was to admit the wedge that would 
 rend asunder every system of priestly and political 
 tyranny. This was seen both by kings and priests. 
 Hence, when Henry VHI. shook off the yoke of 
 Rome, and seated himself in the Pope's place, he re- 
 stored to the people none of the rights of which they 
 had been deprived. You are not to suppose that our 
 principles were developed and applied in a moment. 
 Many of the reformers themselves saw " men as trees 
 walking." Human imperfection often marred the 
 good work ; but the leaven was cast into the meal, 
 and it must diffuse itself. From the death of Wick- 
 liffe to the first settlement of New England, was a 
 period of two hundred and thirty-six years ; a longer 
 period than has transpired since the Puritans first 
 landed upon the Rock of Plymouth. We must re- 
 member that through all that period the good work 
 was opposed by ignorance, by prejudice, by custom, 
 by superstition, and by civil and ecclesiastical power. 
 Nobility, royalty, and Popery — earth and hell were 
 
 * Neal's Hist. Puritans, Harper's edition, pp. 29, 30. Punchard's 
 Hist. Cong. pp. 161, 169. 
 
QQ CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 combined against it. But this very opposition, and 
 the circumstances which gave that opposition its pe- 
 cuhar power, demonstrate the more clearly the nature 
 and tendency of the principles which were leavening 
 slowly, but surely, the whole mass. And here we 
 have testimony which is beyond the reach of cavil. 
 
 It is not uncommon to see the testimony of Hume, 
 on this point, adduced as applicable indiscrifiiinately 
 to all who ever bore the name of ^^ Puritans P Thus : 
 " Says that bitter hater of the Puritans and Presbyte- 
 rians, David Hume, ' The precious spark of liberty 
 had been kindled and was preserved by the Puritans, 
 * * and * * to this sect * * * * the English owe the 
 whole freedom of their Constitution.' '"* " This sectP 
 What sect? However Hume, in the abundance of 
 his hatred of the Puritans and Presbyterians, may at 
 times employ the former term, he leaves the historic 
 fact in no shadow of doubt to what " sect" the distin- 
 guished honor here awarded is eminently due. Chap- 
 ter LVii, to say nothing of the entire warp and woof 
 of his History of England, points out the " Indepen- 
 dents'''' as that " sect" t whose fame and whose prin- 
 ciples are thus linked forever w^th the glorious name 
 of Liberty; and whose name is thus enrolled in 
 
 * Biblical Repository, 1844, p. 286. 
 
 t " The political system of the Independents kept pace with their 
 religious. Not content with confining to very narrow limits the 
 power of the Crown, and reducing the king to the rank of first magis- 
 trate, which was the project of the Presbyterians, this sect, more ar- 
 dent in the pursuit of liberty, aspired to a total abolition of the mon- 
 archy, and even of the aristocracy ; and projected an entire equality of 
 rank and order, in a republic, quite free and independent." — Hume's 
 Hist. Eng.,chap. 57, vol. V, p. 154, Campbell's edit. 
 
. AND METHODISM. g-j 
 
 her own temple. And there are others who dehght 
 to burn incense to their praise. Says Lord King. 
 " As for toleration, or any true notion of religious lib- 
 erty, or any general freedom of conscience, we owe 
 them not in the least degree to what is called the 
 Church of England. On the contrary, we owe all 
 these to the Independents in the time of the Common- 
 wealth, and to Locke, their most enlightened and 
 illustrious disciple." 
 
 Lord Brougham speaks of the Independents as a 
 " body of men to be held in lasting veneration for the 
 unshaken fortitude with which, in all times, they 
 have maintained their attachment to civil liberty ; 
 men, to whose ancestors England will ever acknow- 
 ledge a boundless debt of gratitude, as long as free- 
 dom is prized among us. For, I freely confess it, 
 they — with whatever ridicule some m^ay visit their 
 excesses, or with whatever blame others — they, with 
 the zeal of martyrs, and with the purity of early 
 Christians, the skill and courage of the most renown- 
 ed warriors, achieved for England the free Constitu- 
 tion which she now enjoys." 
 
 Allow me to introduce another witness, and one 
 no less distinguished than his Holiness, the present 
 Pope. Surely he would bear no willing or over- 
 wrought testimony in our favor. It is an extract 
 from a bull issued by him against the Christian 
 League ; a society formed for the purpose of extend- 
 ing the principles of the Reformation in Catholic coun- 
 tries, and especially in Italy. After invoking the 
 efforts of his clergy and all the faithful, he continues : 
 =■ Let us not doubt but your exertions, added to our 
 
68 CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 own, will be seconded by the civil authorities, and 
 especially by the most influential Sovereigns of 
 Italy, no less by reason of their favorable regard for 
 the Catholic religion, than that they plainly perceive 
 how Qnuch it concej'ns them to frustrate these sectarian 
 combinations. Indeed, it is most evident froin past 
 experience, that tJiere are no means more certain of 
 rendering the p)eople disobedient to their p7'mce5 
 than render i?ig them, indifferent to religiofi, under 
 the mask of religious liberty. The members of the 
 Christian League do not conceal this fact from them- 
 selves, although they declare that they are far from 
 wishing to excite disorder; but they, notwithstanding, 
 avow that, once liberty of interpretation obtained, 
 and loith it, what they term, liberty of conscience, 
 amongst Italians, these last loill naturally soon 
 acquire political liberty." 
 
 Here we have " in a Jiut-shell " the cardinal truth 
 which I wish to illustrate, viz., the natural, evident 
 connection — a connection most evident, not only from 
 the nature of things, but from all " past experience" — 
 that exists betw^een religious and '^ political liberty.'- 
 Not more fixed and certain is the law of the natural 
 world, " that whatsoever a man soweth, that shall 
 he also reap." But the seed which was sown at the 
 commencement of the Reformation, was long "choked 
 by the thorns" of Catholicism. The Beast of Rome 
 plucked and trampled the crop for nearly three cen- 
 turies. The husbandmen employed by heaven in 
 this glorious field, although earth's noblest noblemen, 
 Avere yet imperfect. They had so long been im- 
 mured in darkness that their eyes could scarcely bear 
 
AND METHODISM. 69 
 
 the light. They were not fully disenthralled from 
 the errors of the times. And these facts have been 
 tauntingly m'ged against them as proof of weakness 
 or imperfection. In subsequent chapters, it will be 
 my object to show the groundlessness and injustice 
 of the charges which have been, and which are still, 
 so freely urged in certain quarters against our Puri- 
 tan fathers. We shall find that their errors and 
 their frailties were the results of human imperfec- 
 tion, and of the age in which Providence gave them 
 their birth ; while their virtues, and the institutions 
 which were reared by their toils and cemented in 
 their blood, and which stand as monuments more 
 lasting and magnificent than the mausoleums or the 
 pyramids of ancient ambition and arbitrary power, 
 are hut the legitimate results of the great prin- 
 ciples which we are now advocating. We shall see 
 in the contrast, how inexcusable is the ignorance, 
 and how pitiful and unworthy the descendants ot 
 such sires, is the prejudice which can blind the mind 
 to such virtues and to such results, and which con- 
 trast strangely with the candor and liberality of the 
 titled names of Europe, and even of England's infidel 
 historian. 
 
 It is not unusual, in these days of " the march of 
 mind," to see a conceited stripling, or an equally vain 
 and simpering boarding-school miss, decked in the 
 proceeds of the toil and self-denial of a fond, but ill- 
 judging parent, exhibit towards that parent less of 
 deference and respect than is due to a faithful do- 
 mestic ; perhaps even ashamed to recognize a parent 
 under the coarser dress, and the rustic but frank 
 
70 CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 manners of olden time. Language is inadequate to 
 characterize such conduct and such hearts. But 
 there are those, so destitute of magnanimity, so lost 
 to gratitude and to patriotism, as to be guilty of all 
 this towards their country, and towards the fathers 
 of their country. Not content, with Ham, to expose 
 the dishonor of the living, they must needs invade 
 the sanctity of the tomb, that, by chance, they may 
 discover some remaining relic of their fathers' imper- 
 fections which they can hold up to the ridicule of a 
 degenerate age ; trallicking in what they intend for 
 their fathers' shame, and all for the ignoble purpose 
 of increasing their sectarian capital. And the only 
 palliation for all this, — if it he a palliation, — is, that 
 they have become imbued with the spirit of a system 
 which is the antipodes of that which gave birth to 
 the iyistitutions of our country ; a system which can 
 flourish among us only as it disparages the glorious 
 principles of our Puritan ancestors ; which can 
 flourish among us ojily as it " turns the hearts of the 
 children" /ro?7fc ^'- their father s^ And how is this 
 object accomplished? By filling the minds of the 
 young and of the old with mistaken and unjust pre- 
 judices. Defections from "the old paths," in any 
 considerable numbers from among the people, can be 
 produced only by magnifying the defects of the Pu- 
 ritans, and by retailing the base fabrications and the 
 wholesale slanders of those who hate both them and 
 their principles. 
 
 And when an attempt is made to disabuse the 
 public mind of these misrepresentations, what do we 
 hear ? A bold and open defence of these assaults upon 
 
AND METHODISM. 71 
 
 Puritanism ? or a frank and manly acknowledgment 
 of injustice? No, but a reiteration of these parricidal 
 charges, from another haul of their drag-net of detrac- 
 tion through the pages of history ; by appeals to pub- 
 lic sympathy by the cry of " Persecution ;" — appeals 
 to the sympathy of those whose ancestry is thus disho- 
 nored, and who, if their minds were not already warped 
 by an unjust prejudice, would revere them emories of 
 their sires ; who would perceive the beauty, the ex- 
 cellency, the scriptural origin, of "the old paths;" 
 who would gather around the standard which was 
 planted upon the rock of Plymouth ; who might de- 
 sert the graves, but never the altars of their 
 fathers. 
 
V. 
 
 What mean ye by these stones? Josh. 4: 6. 
 
 Progressof Congregationalism— Henry VIII.^Elizabetli— Her Times — Contest of 
 Principles— Oppressions— James I.— Planting of New England— The Seed — 
 Witchcraft. 
 
 When the children of Israel, after their deliver- 
 ance from Egyptian bondage, had passed over the 
 river Jordan, twelve men, selected for the purpose, 
 were commanded to take each of them a stone from 
 the bed of the river, and set them up as a monument 
 of the Divine interposition ; so that whenever their 
 posterity in future generations should behold it, they 
 might be reminded of the privileges thus wonderfully 
 conferred, and of the responsibilities which had been 
 laid upon them by the Divine hand. 
 
 Thus it is with us. The monuments of the Di- 
 vine interposition meet us on every side ; not like the 
 pyramid on Bunker Hill, pointing in majestic silence 
 toward the eternal throne ; but in our school-houses, 
 and academies, and colleges, and churches ; in our 
 flourishing villages, and our peace-embowered 
 houses ; in the quiet, and in the bustling scenes of 
 industry ; in the arts and improvements of civilized 
 life ; and, above all and fostering all, in the free po- 
 litical and religious institutions which were reared 
 by our Puritan Fathers. Rocks may dissolve in 
 
CONGREGATIONALISM, ETC. '^J^ 
 
 dust. Bunker's proud monument may waste away 
 beneath the tooth of Time ; but while Freedom sur- 
 vives, or the history of Freedom, so long shall a 
 wondering world inquire, '• What mean ye by these 
 stones 7 
 
 To furnish an answer to this question, in part, is 
 the design of this chapter. It was remarked in the 
 last chapter, that this glorious structure was not 
 reared in a day. WicklifFe commenced the Reform- 
 ation in England as early as 1356 ; but the suprem- 
 acy of the Pope was not renounced till 1532, by 
 Henry VIII. During this long period, the Bible, 
 which had been translated by WicklifFe, though 
 trampled under the iron hoof of Rome, had been 
 producing its natural and appropriate fruits. From 
 the seed thus sown, the principles of the Reformation 
 had taken effectual root. These principles might be 
 summed up in the right of individual men, an^^ of 
 individual churches, to regulate their oion faith 
 and practice by the Scriptures. While Popery, or 
 the elements of Popery, remained predominant, of 
 course these principles were suppressed to the fullest 
 extent of human power. But God did not leave 
 himself without witness. 
 
 Though Henry had renounced the supremacy of 
 the Pope, it was only that he might be Pope him- 
 self; and never was Pope more arbitrary. Puritan 
 and Papist, indiscriminately, who would not bow to 
 his authority, were made to feel the weight of his 
 power. He was followed by his daughter, " the 
 bloody Mary," after a brief respite during the life of 
 his son, the youthful Edward VI. 
 
74 CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 In 1558, just about two hundred years after 
 WicklifFe commenced his eventful labors as a re- 
 former, Elizabeth ascended the throne of England. 
 She was a Protestant in name, as were most of the 
 sovereigns who followed her ; but notwithstanding 
 this, very little advancement was made in the prin- 
 ciples of true religious liberty. Religious faith, and 
 public worship, and many of the private privileges 
 of religion, were regulated by law ; and the least de- 
 parture from the prescribed forms and modes expos- 
 ed the offender to the most cruel punishments, — even 
 to death itself. Many, in these days, seem to sup- 
 pose that persecution was practised, chiefly, by the 
 Catholics; while the Puritans are made to share 
 in the odium which is attached to the name of Per- 
 secutor. The injustice of this slander upon the 
 name of Puritan, in its application to Congregation- 
 alists, we shall not neglect to expose, in the proper 
 place. Many seem to forget that it was the settled 
 policy of the Church of England, for generations, 
 to inflict pecuniary and corporeal punishments for 
 religious principles conscientiously held, and peacea- 
 bly practised ; and that even noio political disabilities 
 and pecuniary expenses are incurred from the same 
 causes. To pray in any other manner than in the 
 legally prescribed form, subjected our fathers to the 
 loss of goods and chattels, for the first offence ; to 
 one year's imprisonment for the second ; and to im- 
 prisonment for life for the third. 
 
 So little removed from Popery were the Episcopal 
 forms and ceremonies of worship, that the Puritans 
 regarded an observance of them as a practical sane- 
 
AND METHODISM. ^ 75 
 
 tioning of Popery. Some of those things might 
 have been very harmless, in themselves ; and so 
 was a three-penny tax on tea a small matter, i7i it- 
 self, but it involved the great prmciple of taxation 
 without representation. Much of the principle in- 
 volved in these popish rules and observances was 
 real Popery. It involved the question whether God 
 or man should be obeyed, — whether men should be 
 guided by the Bible, or hy human authority. It was 
 a contest of principles. The drinking of a few drops 
 of an intoxicating liquor may be of little importance 
 in itself, but in its influence it may involve the en- 
 tire interests of the great cause of Temperance. 
 Emphatically is this true in matters of religion, and 
 especially in the great Avork of a reformation from 
 Popery. To yield to human authority, where the 
 Deity alone might command, was to deny his su- 
 preme authority over the conscience, the heart and 
 the life. Hence, as the government assumed the 
 right to regulate the religious faith and practice of the 
 people, it is easy to see how the assertion of their 
 rights in matters of religion would pioneer the way 
 for the attainment of their rights in civil matters. 
 Let it never be forgotten that this is the true order 
 of things ; then shall we be prepared to perceive and 
 appreciate the obligations which the world is under 
 to the men who bared their bosoms and their necks 
 in defence of the principles which were involved in 
 the Reformation. For these they endured fines, im- 
 prisonments, banishments, stripes, slitting of the 
 nose, cropping of the ears, branding with red-hot 
 irons, and death itself, To all these evils, inflicted 
 
76 CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 with greater or less severity, the Puritans were con- 
 stantly subjected, not merely while Popery prevailed, 
 but from the accession of Elizabeth in 1558, till they 
 sought refuge in the wilderness of New England. 
 
 An extract or two from " Neal's History of the Pu- 
 ritans,-' will enable us to form some idea of the rea- 
 sons why our fathers refused to conform to such a 
 church, and to submit to such laws ; and their abun- 
 dant justification for seeking redress by any necessa- 
 ry means. 
 
 " In the supplication of the people of Cornwall, 
 it is said, ' We are above the number of four score 
 and ten thousand souls, which, for the want of the 
 Word of God, are in extreme misery and ready to 
 perish, and this neither for want of maintenance or 
 place ; for besides the impropriations in our Shire, 
 we allow yearly above £9200, and have one hun- 
 dred and sixty churches, the greatest part of which 
 are supplied by men who are guilty of the grossest 
 sins ; some fornicators, some adulterers, some felons, 
 bearing the marks in their hands for the said of- 
 fences ; some drunkards, gamesters on the Sabbath 
 day, (fee. We have many non-residents, who preach 
 but once a quarter, so that, between meal and meal 
 the silly sheep may starve. We have some ministers 
 who labor painfully and faithfully in the Lord's hus- 
 bandry ; but these men are not suffered to attend 
 their callings, because the mouths of papists, infidels, 
 and filthy livers are open against them, and the ears 
 of those who are called lords over us, are sooner open 
 to their accusations, though it be but for ceremonies, 
 than to the other's answers. Nor is it safe for us to 
 
AND METHODISM. 77 
 
 go and hear them ; for, though our own fountains 
 are dried up, yet, if we seek for the waters of life 
 elsewhere, Ave are cited into the spiritual courts, re- 
 viled, and threatened with excommunication."* 
 
 But as " excommunication " was not sufficient, 
 the following law, among others, was enacted : " An 
 act for the punishment of persons obstinately refusing 
 to come to church, and persuading others to impugn 
 the queen's authority in ecclesiastical matters. It 
 is therein enacted that if any person above the age of 
 sixteen, shall obstinately refuse to repair to some 
 church, chapel, or usual place of common prayer, to 
 hear Divine service for the space of one month, with- 
 out lawful cause ; or shall at any time, forty days after 
 the end of this session, by printing, writing, or express 
 words, go about to persuade any of her Majesty's 
 subjects to deny, withstand, or impugn her Majesty's 
 power or authority in causes ecclesiastical ; or shall 
 dissuade them from coming to church to hear Divine 
 service, or receive the communion according as the 
 law directs ; or shall he inesent at any unlaivful 
 assenibli/j conventicle^ or meetings under color or 
 jyretence of any exercise of religion ; that every per- 
 son so offending, and lawfully convicted, shall be 
 committed to prison without bail, till they shall con- 
 form and yield themselves to come to church, and 
 make declaration of their conformity. 
 
 * * * a g^^^ jj^ (.g^gg ^j^g offenders against this stat- 
 ute, being lawfully convicted, shall not submit and 
 sign the declaration within three months, then they 
 shall abjure the realm, and go into perpetual banish- 
 Neal's " Hist, of the Puritans," Vol. I. (Harper's Ed.) p. 146. 
 
78 CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 ment.* And if they do not depart within the time 
 Hmited by the quarter sessions or justices of the 
 peace, or if they return at any time afterward, with- 
 out the queen's Kcense, they shall suffer death with- 
 out benefit of clergy. So tliat as Lord Chancellor 
 King observed at the trial of Dr. Sacheverel, the 
 case of the Nonconformists by this act was worse 
 than that of felons at common law, for these were al- 
 lowed the benefit of clergy, but the others were not. 
 This statute was levelled against the laity as well as 
 the clergy, and the severe execution of it, with that of 
 the 23d of Eliz., in this and the following reigns,t 
 brought infinite mischiefs upon the kingdom ; many 
 families being forced into banishment ; some put to 
 death, as in cases of treason ; and others as the au- 
 thors of seditious pamphlets. "t 
 
 Under the severe operation of these laws some of 
 the sufferers " ventured to lay their case before the 
 
 * " It is remarkable that there is a proviso in this statute, that no 
 popish recusant shall be compelled or bound to abjure by virtue of this 
 act. Such was her Majesty's tenderness for the papists while she was 
 crushing Protestant dissenters." 
 
 t " These laws are still put in execution, and about three years 
 ago, in Cornwall, a poor fellow, a Dissenter, was libelled in the spir- 
 itual court for not attending divine worship at his parish church on 
 Sunday. He had not taken the oaths required by the Toleration Act ; 
 but it being a sufficient defence to take them at any time during the 
 prosecution, he applied to the magistrates of the county, at their 
 quarter sessions, who illegally refused to administer them ; the conse- 
 quence was, that he was excommunicated. Upon a representation of 
 the committee in London for taking care of the civil concerns of the 
 Dissenters, the chairman of the sessions acknowledged the error of 
 the justices, and the man took the oaths at the ensuing sessions, but it 
 was then too late." Note in Neal's Hist, of the Puritans. 
 
 + Neal's "Hist, of the Puritans," Vol I. p. 198. (Harper's Ed.) 
 
AND METHODISM. 79 
 
 lords of the council in an humble petition." In this 
 petition they say, that " upon a careful examination 
 of the Holy Scriptures, we find the English hieiar- 
 chy to be dissonant from Christ's institution, and to 
 be derived from Antichrist, being the same the Pope 
 left in this land, to which we dare not subject our- 
 selves. We farther find that God has commanded 
 all, that believe the Gospel, to walk in that holy faith 
 and order which he has appointed in his church ; 
 wherefore, in the reverend fear of his name, we have 
 joined ourselves together, and subjected our souls and 
 bodies to those laws and ordinances. ***** 
 But the prelates of this land have for a long time 
 dealt most injuriously, unlawfully, and outrageously 
 with us, by the great power and high authority they 
 have gotten in their hands, and usurped above all 
 the courts, judges, laws, and charters of this land, 
 persecuting, imprisoning, and detaining at their 
 pleasure cur poor bodies, without any trial, release 
 or bail ; and hitherto without any cause either for 
 error or crime directly objected. Some of us they 
 have kept in close prison four or five years with 
 miserable usage ; others they have cast into New- 
 gate, and laden with as many irons as they could 
 bear ; others into dungeons and loathsome jails, 
 among the most facinorous and vile persons, where 
 it is lamentable to relate how many of these innocents 
 have perished within these five years : aged widows, 
 aged men, and young maidens, &c., where, so many 
 as the infection hath spared, lie in woful distress, 
 like to follow their fellows, if speedy redress be not 
 had ; others of us have been grievously beaten with 
 
80 CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 cudgels in Bridewell, and cast into a place called Lit- 
 tle Ease, for refusing to come to their chapel service ; 
 in which prison several have ended their lives ; but 
 upon none of our companions thus committed by 
 them, and dying in their prison, is any search or in- 
 quest suffered to pass, as by law in like case is pro- 
 vided. 
 
 '' Their manner of pursuing and apprehending 
 us is with no less violence and outrage ; their pur- 
 suivants, with their assistants, break into our houses 
 at all times of the night, where they break open, 
 ransack, and rifle at their pleasure, under pretence of 
 searching for seditious, unlawful books. The hus- 
 bands in the dead of night they have plucked out of 
 their beds, and haled them to prison. 
 
 *' We therefore humbly pray, in the name of God 
 and our sovereign the queen, that we may have the 
 benefit of the laws, and of the public charter of the 
 land, namely, that we may be received to bail till we 
 be by order of law convicted of some crime deserving 
 of bonds. We plight unto your honors our faith 
 unto God, and our allegiance to her Majesty, that we 
 will not commit any thing unworthy the Gospel of 
 Christ, or to the disturbance of the common peace 
 and good order of the land, and that we will be forth- 
 coming at such reasonable warning as your lord- 
 ships shall command."* 
 
 Many minds are struck with horror chiefly at the 
 burnings at the stake ; but the extracts just given 
 show us that such public and cruel executions were 
 were but a drop in the bucket, in comparison with 
 
 Neal's Hist, of the Puritans, Vol. I. p. 199. (Note.) 
 
AND METHODISM. 81 
 
 what was endured from other modes of punishment 
 and of cruehy. The law above quoted had a two- 
 fold object, viz., to enforce conformity to all the prin- 
 ciples and practices of the established church ; and 
 to prevent and punish attendance upon any rehgious 
 meeting, public or private, for reading or hearing 
 God's word, and for prayer, or for any religious exer- 
 cises whatever. There was no charge of hostility 
 to the civil government, or of any thing that tended 
 to weaken the government. It was purely a war- 
 fare upon the rights of men quietly and peaceably to 
 worship God according to the dictates of their own 
 consciences. These were the true grounds of the 
 contest which was waged between the Puritans, on 
 the one hand, and the royal party and the Episcopal 
 clergy on the other. Relief from the evils under 
 which the Puritans groaned, could be obtained only 
 by a change in the principles of civil and ecclesiasti- 
 cal government. But no sufficient and permanent 
 relief was to be found in England. It was only to 
 be found upon these shores. During a brief period 
 they obtained a respite in their native land, but they 
 obtained it only by rising against their oppressor, and 
 wresting the rod from his grasp. This was under 
 Cromwell. The men who gained this victory over 
 oppression were but a minority ; but they succeeded, 
 under God, through their talents and their courage. 
 While Cromwell lived, they were able to maintain 
 the advantages which they had gained. That chap- 
 ter in the history of England, whatever may be the 
 faults which it records, is a perfect vindication of our 
 principles, civil and religious. Two fundumental 
 
82 CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 principles are the landmarks which guide in the sur- 
 vey of those stormy times, viz. Repuhlicanism in 
 government^ and toleration in religion. Their re- 
 publicanism has already been exhibited from Hume. 
 Of their tolerance, the Encyclopaedia Americana, ar- 
 ticle, Cromwell, thus testifies. " In religion he acted 
 on the principle of toleration. Every man had 
 liberty of co?iscience.^^ It might have been added, 
 that no test was applied to any man, except what is 
 applied in this state at this day, viz. That he be 
 true to the government of his state and of his 
 country. 
 
 In judging of the manner in which these princi- 
 ples were carried out in practice, two points must be 
 borne in mind. (1.) Those were times of revolution, 
 in which the actions of men are not to be judged by 
 the same standard as in times of established order. 
 Even in our own Revolution in '76, many acts and 
 measures, which were then regarded as just and ne- 
 cessary, would appear in altogether a different light, 
 in the present circumstances of established authority. 
 The Puritan reformers were surrounded by a power- 
 ful body of Catholics, with whom the Catholic gov- 
 ernments of France and Spain, and the Pope were 
 ready to unite for the purpose of re-establishing 
 popery in England. Scarcely less to be dreaded was 
 the royalist party, combining the influence and the 
 tender mercies of an intolerant hierarchy, whose 
 motto, as uttered by king James was, " They^^ (the 
 Puritans) ^^ shall conform^ or I ivill harry them out 
 of the kingdom, or worse, ojily hang them, thafs 
 all.''^ (2.) We who enjoy the light of mid-day, are 
 
AND METHODISM. 83 
 
 not to condemn those who stumbled in the twilight 
 of the morning. Who thinks of casting odium on 
 the name of Fulton, because some of his efforts in the 
 application of steam were crude, or even unphilo- 
 sophical? His name Avill shine as the morning 
 star in the history of that great invention, even 
 though others have far surpassed him in the applica- 
 tion of the grand idea to which he gave birth. Co- 
 lumbus would be remembered and honored as the 
 discoverer of America, even though he had died 
 when his eyes first gazed upon the shores of the first 
 discovered island. What though his plans and cal- 
 culations were marred with error, and ignorance, and 
 absurdity ? His name is still recorded as " The Dis- 
 coverer of a New World.^' ^^ hy? ii^ the name of 
 honesty and of justice, should not the same truth 
 and candor mark our estimate of the principles, and 
 actions, and characters of our Puritan fathers, who 
 discovered and reduced to order the elements of civil 
 and religious liberty ? And yet these are the men 
 who are selected as outcasts from the pale of candor ; 
 whose names and whose principles are shuttlecocks 
 for every witling. Some, even their own degenerate 
 sons, would brand the Puritans as intolerant bigots^ 
 and hold them up to the odium of the world. Facts 
 show the base injustice of such representations. 
 Cromwell expresses the abhorrence he would feel, if 
 those, who had cast off the yoke of bishops, should 
 themselves become the persecutors of others. The 
 Puritans fought for religious liberty, not merely for 
 themselv^es but for others. Accordingly, when rest- 
 ing in the rewards of victory, they permitted all 
 
84 CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 peaceable citizens to enjoy the rights of conscience 
 unmolested. To this truth let an Episcopal church 
 historian bear testimony. " All the world," says he, 
 " will allow that, in point of religious liberty, their 
 conduct when in power, fulfilled the promises made 
 in obscurity."* Says Hume, " Of all Christian sects, 
 this was the first" (the Independents) " which, during 
 its prosperity, as well as its adversity, always adopted 
 the principle of toleration J^\ And yet, in the face 
 of all this, there are those who can denounce and 
 misrepresent the heroic efforts of these men in de- 
 fence of themselves, of liberty, and of the sacred 
 rights of conscience. 
 
 Amid the adverse influences by which they were 
 surrounded, in England, the Puritans could not long 
 retain the power which they had acquired. They 
 retained it long enough, however, to demonstrate the 
 pohtical bearings of their religious principles, viz., 
 that repuhlicanism in religion leads directly to re- 
 pithlicanisTR in politics. Men of all religious views 
 may now be found harmonizing in their politics ; but 
 it was not so then. The anti-republican in religion, 
 was an anti-republican in politics. This remark is 
 verified by the famous maxim of James I. '^ No 
 BISHOP, no KING." " A Church without a bishop" 
 led, naturally.^ to " a state without a king." In proof 
 of this, we need only the history of the reigns of the 
 four kings of the house of Stuart. They were " the 
 declared enemies of the civil constitution ; they aimed 
 to govern without law. They levied taxes by the 
 
 * Hist. Eng. Ch. and Sects, by Rev. J. Grant, Vol. II. p. 435. 
 t Hist. Eng., Vol. V. p. 1.54. 
 
AND METHODISM. 85 
 
 prerogative ; and endeavored to put an end to the 
 very being of parliaments ;" and the people were for- 
 bidden even " to talk upon political matters." These 
 arbitrary measures were countenanced and encour- 
 aged by the bishops, that thereby they might secure 
 the suppression of the Puritans, and the supremacy 
 of '' the Church." 
 
 The state of the parties is shown by this short 
 piece of history. Upon the accession of James I. to 
 the throne of England, the Puritans petitioned for a 
 reformation of certain abuses and corruptions in the 
 Church. They were met by a counter petition from 
 the Episcopal party, who endeavored to excite the 
 prejudice of the king against the Puritans, '• as being 
 for a limited monarchy, and for subjecting the titles 
 of kings to the approbation of the people." "Look at 
 the Reformed Churches abroad ; wheresoever the de- 
 sire of the" Puritan " takes place, how ill it suits with 
 the state of monarchy." " The present Church gov- 
 ernment" was commended '• as the great support of 
 the crown, and calculated to promote unlimited siih- 
 jectio7i" " The archbishop and his brethren were 
 indefatigable in possessing the king with the excel- 
 lence of the English hierarchy, * * as best suited 
 to a monarchical government." In a conference with 
 these petitioners, the king, turning to the bishops, 
 saidj " My lords, I may thank you that these Puri- 
 tans plead for my supremacy, for if once you are out 
 and they in place, I know what v/ould become of my 
 supremacy, for, no bishop no king." Then rising 
 from his chair he added, " I will make them conform, 
 or I will harry them out of the land, or else do worse, 
 
 5 
 
85 CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 only hang them, that's all." Bishop Bancroft fell on 
 his knees and said, ' I protest my heart melteth for 
 joy, that Almighty God, of his singular mercy, has 
 given ns such a king as, since Christ, has not heen.' " 
 " Chancellor Egerton said, ' he had never seen the 
 king and priest so fully united in one person.' "* At 
 the next day's conference, the king having given ut- 
 terance to the same arbitrary spirit, the old Arch- 
 bishop cried out, in transport, "Undoubtedly your 
 majesty speaks by the special assistance of God's 
 Spirit." 
 
 This was the precise state of the parties, — Epis- 
 copacy and monarchy on the one hand, wedded to- 
 gether and mutually supporting each other ; and 
 Puritanism on the other, the defender of constitu- 
 tional liberty. 
 
 But the Puritans were not all Congregationalists, 
 or Independents as they are called in England. If 
 we would correctly understand the relations which 
 Congregational principles sustain to civil and reli- 
 gious liberty, we must not forget that as matters by 
 degrees approached a crisis, opposition to despotism 
 centered more and Qnore in Congregationalism. 
 The men of that religious party were the men who 
 took the lead of the opposition among the^ people, in 
 Parliament, and in the army, and who finally over- 
 threw the monarchy and established the Common- 
 wealth, and who, amid all their reverses, were ever 
 found the consistent and indomitable champions of 
 liberty. Says Hume, " The Independents, who 
 had, at first, taken shelter, and concealed themselves 
 
 ^ Neal. 
 
AND METHODISM. g-j 
 
 under the wings of the Presbyterians, now (1644) 
 evidently appeared a distinct parti/, and betrayed 
 
 VERY DIFFERENT VIEWS AND PRETENSIONS."* 
 
 Hence the testimony of lords King and Brongham 
 already given, that " to the Independents England 
 owes all true notions of religious liberty, and free- 
 dom of conscience," as well as "the free constitution 
 which she now enjoys." It was, then, not merely to 
 the Puritans that " England owes this debt of grat- 
 itude," hut pre-eminently to that class of Puritans 
 who held the peculiar principles of Congregation- 
 alism. 
 
 It was from this party that New England was 
 colonized ; and these were the principles with which 
 this soil was planted. Not by a few ranting fanatics, 
 who were too surly and persecuting to dwell with 
 the rest of mankind. No men in England ranked 
 higher in point of talents and education than their 
 statesmen and their clergy. These were the men, 
 under whose administration, and by whose arms, the 
 national glory of England was raised to a pitch, that 
 never has been surpassed. These were the men, 
 whom some can ridicule as whining, psalm-singing, 
 ignorant, fanatical persecutors ; the men who hurled 
 tyranny from its throne, and beneath whose tread 
 Europe trembled. Yea, more ; these were the men 
 who moulded this fair land, and breathed into it the 
 living soul that now animates it with the spirit of 
 civil and religious liberty. Not merely did they cross 
 the ocean whh these principles ; it icas these prin- 
 ciples that inspired them with the courage and the 
 
 * Hist. Eng. Vol. V. p. 153. 
 
38 CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 fortitude to brave the ocean, the wildernesSj and the 
 savage, and hunger, and cold, and death. 
 
 It is deeply interesting and instructive to trace 
 the development of these principles, during the two 
 hundred and thirty-six years preceding the first set- 
 tlement of New England, beginning with the time 
 of Wickliffe. Scarcely one important principle either 
 in politics or religion, has been since discovered. 
 He did not, indeed, foresee, — no human mind could 
 have comprehended their operation or results. That 
 great Reformer fell back upon the naked Scriptures. 
 He there saw at once the rights, and duties, and res- 
 ponsibilities of individual Christian men^ and of in- 
 dividual Christian Churches. The Bible, and the 
 Bible only, as the rule of faith and practice in reli- 
 gion, — the voluntary election and support of the 
 ministry by the people, — the nature of the pastoral 
 ofiice, — the mode and design of Church organization, 
 — these v/ere the elements of the religious rights, 
 and they led, naturally and directly^ to the civil 
 rights of the 'people. All who adopted these prin- 
 ciples, did not at once, and with equal clearness, 
 discover their nature and practical application. Per- 
 secution at times excited and beclouded their minds, 
 for it can " make a loise man madP They were 
 often uncompliant to tjie weakness of others ; they 
 were stern and rigid ; sometimes even harsh towards 
 others, for those were not the times when men were 
 enervated upon beds of down or of roses. We may 
 even admit that they were deficient in the milder 
 graces of the gospel ; but those were the faults of the 
 timesj and not of the Puritans alone. Many seem 
 
AND METHODISM. §9 
 
 to forget that to estimate the historical facts of the 
 seventeenth century by those of the nineteenth is. 
 necessarily, to make a false and unjust estimate. 
 Many seem to forget that those men were born amid 
 the corruptions of popery, or of a hierarchy that was 
 based on essentially the same principles, and that 
 they were called to suffer beneath the heavy hand, 
 and to resist the full grown power of the Man of 
 Sin. 
 
 We shall be aided in estimating our obligations 
 to these men, by answering to ourselves this one 
 question, viz., What new principle in civil or reli- 
 gious liberty has been discovered since the settle- 
 ment of Neio England, and the establishment of 
 these colonial governments ? Many among us seem 
 to look upon the fathers of these enlightened republics 
 as passing through a change similar to that of the 
 semi-savage Russians, under Peter the Great. Now, 
 what change has taken place in New England, or in 
 our country ? There has been, absolutely, no change 
 of essential principles ; there has been no change 
 except in the applicatiori of these principles, and 
 in the advancement of the arts of life ; in personal 
 matters of rehgion ; and in our relations to the 
 mother country. What was accomplished, or aimed 
 at, in the Revolution, but a confederacy of the States, 
 and independence of Great Britain ? Nothing. The 
 adoption of a National Constitution followed as a 
 matter of expediency, which was taught by experi- 
 ence; but what new principle was there in that? It 
 was simply an application of well known principles 
 of Republicanism. In the confederation of the colo- 
 
90 CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 nies, by which independence was achieved, there 
 was nothing new ; for four of the colonies of New 
 England had confederated, for their mutual defence 
 against a common danger, nearly a century and a 
 half previous, and the constitutions under which 
 they achieved their independence of the mother 
 country, and which continued in force afterwards, 
 were the very constitutions which had been handed 
 down from our Pilgrim Fathers. 
 
 These facts are not only important to a right un- 
 derstanding of the origin and genius of our institu- 
 tions, but also of the difference between the govern- 
 ments of the New England colonies, and of the 
 colonies at the South. These latter governments 
 were proprietary in their character ; i. e., the king, 
 or some great proprietor or company was at tlie head 
 of the government ; or at least had a leading agen- 
 cy in the direction and administration of affairs. 
 Nothing of this had any existence in New England. 
 
 The first attempts at a settlement in New Eng- 
 land, were made in what is now the State of Maine ; 
 but the first regular and permanent settlement was 
 that of Plymouth, which was commenced in 1620. 
 The settlers had started for '• South Virginia," as it 
 was called ; but on landing they found themselves 
 so far north, as to be out of the jurisdiction of that 
 colony, and without any powers of government. 
 They therefore entered into a voluntary compact, as 
 follows. '' We do, by these presents, solemnly and 
 mutually, in the presence of God, and of one another, 
 covenaiU and combine ourselves together, into a civil 
 body politic, for our better ordering and preservation 
 
AND METHODISM. 91 
 
 and furtherance of the ends aforesaid ; and by virtue 
 hereof, to enact, constitute and frame, such just and 
 equal laws, ordinances, acts, constitutions, and offi- 
 ces, from time to time, as shall be thought most meet 
 and convenient for the general good of the colony ; 
 unto which we promise all due submission and obe- 
 dience." " The government was administered by a 
 governor chosen annually by the people, and seven 
 persons called assistants, chosen in the same way. 
 It was at first a pure democracy, and the whole body 
 of the people often met and decided upon executive 
 as well as legislative afiairs." " In 1639, a House of 
 Representatives was established." 
 
 ^- The Colony of Massachusetts was settled in 
 1628. Powers of government were given, them the 
 next year, by Charles I. as ' the Governor and Com- 
 pany of Massachusetts Bay.' The Company was 
 authorized to hold four great and general courts an- 
 nually, which were empowered to make laws and 
 regulations for the government of the colony. In 
 1630, what was intended merely as the organization 
 of a Company became the Constitution of a State. 
 In 1634 the House of Representatives was estab- 
 lished, and became a fundamental part of the Con- 
 stitution." 
 
 The first colonists of Connecticut came from 
 Massachusettp, in 1635, and were governed by per- 
 sons called Magistrates, empowered for that purpose 
 by the Legislature of Massachusetts ; but finding 
 they were out of the limits of that colony, they 
 established, in 1639, a Constitution for themselves. 
 The substance of this Constitution was contained in 
 
92 CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 the Charter granted by Charles II. in 1662, and con« 
 tinned, without any material alteration, to be the 
 fundamental law of this State till 1818. 
 
 " The Colony of New Haven was settled in 1637. 
 The colonists, having no powers of government, 
 constituted themselves into a body politic, and estab- 
 lished a form of Government."* 
 
 The settlers of all these colonies were republicans 
 before they left their native land, and they left it 
 because they wei^e republicans in politics and in reli- 
 gion ; and so truly as religion had an influence in 
 the formation of their characters, so truly was it the 
 cause of their republicanism. 
 
 Rhode Island was settled in two colonies by Ro- 
 ger Williams and Mrs. Hutchinson, with governments 
 similar to the preceding. 
 
 " In 1643, the Colonies of Plymouth, Massachu- 
 setts, Connecticut and New Haven, formed a Confed- 
 eracy, which lasted forty years. By the Articles of 
 Confederation they entered into a perpetual league of 
 friendship and amity, for offence and defence ;" each 
 colony retaining its own government and jurisdiction 
 in domestic concerns, — just the form of confederation 
 which existed during the Revolution. Two Commis- 
 sioners from each of the Colonies formed a board 
 for managing the common concerns of the confede- 
 racy. 
 
 After the termination of the Commonwealth in 
 England, and the re-establishment of Monarchy, 
 royal commissioners were appointed to govern the 
 colonies at their discretion. " But," as Lord Claren- 
 
 * Encyclopaedia Americana, Art. New England. 
 
AND METHODISM. 93 
 
 don expressed it, " they were already hardened into 
 repnblics,^^ and the commissioners found themselves 
 unable to execute their duties. Regular resistance 
 was offered in all these colonies, as decided in its 
 spirit as that which commenced and completed the 
 war of the Revolution. As a consequence, " their 
 charters were declared to be forfeited, and a Gover- 
 nor General was appointed for New England, with 
 instructions to allow no printing press." The char- 
 ter of Connecticut was preserved by the boldness of 
 the people, from falling into the hands of the king's 
 commissioner, and was kept secreted until after the 
 Revolution in England by which William III. was 
 placed upon the throne. When a rumor of that revo- 
 lution reached this country, " the people of Boston 
 flew to arms, seized the Governor and the Captain of 
 a frigate in the harbor, compelled the castle to sur- 
 render," and thus effected a complete revolution. The 
 charters of Connecticut and Rhode Island were then 
 resumed, but that of Massachusetts had been seized ; 
 and though they petitioned for its restoration, it was 
 refused, and a new one granted, by which the Gover- 
 nor was appointed by the Crown. From time to 
 time the temper of the colonies was tried by restric- 
 tions laid upon their trade and manufactures, and by 
 constant attempts to encroach upon their liberties. 
 More especially was this true after the annihilation 
 of the French power in America in 1763. From that 
 time, a new system of colonial policy began in Eng- 
 land, which led to the war of the Revolution. 
 
 I have glanced over these matters, not to impart 
 knowledge, but to refresh the mind with the facts 
 5* 
 
94 CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 which show that the independence of these States 
 was the mere ripening of a harvest tvhich was soion 
 in the first planting of our country, and that this 
 harvest was matured by influences which had been 
 in constant operation during the entire history of the 
 colonies. Our free institutions were brought here by 
 our fathers ; here they planted, in the outset, our sys- 
 tem of education, our churches and our religion. 
 
 It would be interesting to notice the fact and to 
 exhibit the proof, if our particular design would per- 
 mit, that in the eventful struggle of the Revolution 
 the colonies which bore the heat and burden of the 
 day, were those which were most deeply imbued with 
 the spirit of the Puritans ; while those, whether colo- 
 nies or individuals, who, under the name of Tory, 
 preferred a foreign yoke to the glory and independ- 
 ence of their country, were, with some noble excep- 
 tions, equally opposed to the religious principles of 
 the Puritans. But we must pass on to other topics. 
 Yet, at this day, when so many revile the vine thus 
 watered with tears and blood, even while reclining 
 beneath its branches and revelling upon its fruits, it 
 is well to refresh our minds with our obligations to 
 those men, of whom the world was not worthy. It 
 is a reproach that i?igratitude should be recorded as 
 the peculiar " sin of repubhcs." But our obligations 
 are not seen alone in the fact that such an inherit- 
 ance has been bequeathed us ; we must look at the 
 sacrifices by which it was obtained. 
 
 Of the one hundred and one who landed on 
 Plymouth Rock, Dec. 22, 1620, more than one half 
 were laid in their graves before spring, by hardship, 
 
.♦^5i 
 
 AND METHODISM. 95 
 
 exposure and privation. At times not more than six 
 or seven were found possessed of sufficient strength 
 to attend upon the sick, and to bury the dead. No- 
 thing but a Puritan Faith could have sustained 
 them under such crushing trials ; and scarcely was 
 it ever true, during a long series of years, that their 
 lives were secure from a savage foe. Their wars 
 with the Pequots, with the Narragansetts, with Philip, 
 and with the combined powers of the French and 
 Indians on the north, were sustained at a greater 
 sacrifice of treasure and of blood, in proportion to 
 their numbers and their Avealth, than that which 
 gained our national independence. In forming their 
 settlements, in making their improvements, in per- 
 forming their journeys and their marches, all was 
 accomplished by slow and exhausting bodily toil, 
 unaided by modern improvements in science and the 
 arts. Truly, other men labored^ and we have en- 
 tered into their labors. 
 
 But they were not 'perfect men, and consequent- 
 ly, though they were in advance of all others, and 
 in advance of the times in which they lived ; though 
 they were employed by Providence to dig up the 
 Bible from the rubbish of ages, and to apply its prin- 
 ciples to practice; though they were the constant 
 defenders of constitutional liberty, and the founders 
 of this glorious Republic ; yet there are those, even 
 among us, who are possessed of so little candor or 
 gratitude, as not only to be blind to their virtues, and 
 to the monuments of their heroic deeds, but who 
 seem to delight to hold up their imperfections, and 
 even these men themselves, as only fit subjects of 
 
96 CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 ridicule. While the historians, and the titled names 
 of Europe, — though the subjects of a monarchy and 
 a hierarchy, — delight to honor our Puritan fathers, 
 attracted, chiefly, by their characters and their 
 achievements, showing that it requires iiohility of 
 soul^ if not of titles^ to discover and appreciate true 
 greatness, — while they can expatiate, with delighted 
 candor, upon our tasteful dwellings, our shady and 
 quiet villages, our factories, our cultivated farms, our 
 roads and internal improvements, our schools, and 
 our churches, as the results of Pw^itan principles ; 
 others, even its own sons, can denominate New Eng- 
 land only as " the land where they hung Quakers 
 and loitchesy 
 
 Let us begin with the hanging of witches. The 
 history of our country contains a melancholy chap- 
 ter on this subject. The year 1692 is celebrated 
 for the sad delusion which has given Salem an un- 
 happy distinction. In that year nineteen persons 
 were hung, and one pressed to death in Salem and 
 its vicinity, for the alleged crime of witchcraft. The 
 delusion was not confined to that region ; though 
 matters were not elsewhere carried to the same 
 extreme. One person was executed in New Haven 
 Colony, and several were accused in Connecticut, 
 but none were executed ; and no execution took place 
 in New England, subsequently to 1692. 
 
 It is common, in some circles, to speak of this 
 matter as if all the Colonies were equally implicated 
 in whatever of dishonor may be attached to such 
 transactions ; but certainly it is manifest injustice to 
 charge the crimes or the weaknesses of the people, 
 
AND METHODISM. '97 
 
 or of the government of one colony upon them all in- 
 discriminately. The colonies were entirely distinct, 
 and independent of each other. 
 
 But why select New England at all, as the coun- 
 try peculiarly marked in history for the superstition, 
 if you please to call it such, which believed in 
 witches, and the records of whose courts are stained 
 with their blood ? Is it true that '- New England is 
 the land where they hung witches? " Or is the charge 
 a slanderous libel 7 
 
 We find traces of the execution of witches as 
 early as the 13th century ; but it was not until the 
 15th that the proceedings against witchcraft assumed 
 the most hideous form. " In 1484, Pope Innocent 
 Ylllth issued a bull, directing the inquisitors to be 
 vigilant in searching and punishing those guilty of 
 this crime." Other bulls followed by Alexander Vlth 
 in 1494. by Leo Xth in 1521, and by Adrian YIth in 
 1522. For two centuries and a half these principles 
 had full sway. We are told that five hundred 
 witches were burned in Geneva, in three months, a 
 little before the Reform^ation. One thousand were 
 executed in one year in the diocese of Como. In 
 Wurtzi urg, one hundred and fifty-seven persons 
 were burned in two years ; and it has been calcu- 
 lated that one hundred thousand persons suffered in 
 Germany alone, from the date of the first bull, just 
 referred to, until the termination of prosecutions on 
 these charges. •' A witch was burned in one of 
 the Swiss Cantons as late as 1780. In England the 
 state .of things was no better. The Reformation, 
 which exploded so many errors, seems to have had 
 
98' CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 no influence upon this. Individual cases of trial 
 occurred in that country previous to the existence of 
 any penal statutes against it," but the enactments of 
 Henry Vllth, about the year 1500, of Henry Ylllth, 
 of Elizabeth, and of James 1st, in 1603 — the last 
 passed when Lord Bacon was a member of Parha- 
 ment, and not repealed till 1736 — show the extent of 
 the legislative proceedings in regard to that crime in 
 England. As late as 1716 a woman and her daugh- 
 ter were hanged on a charge of witchcraft, twenty- 
 four years after the last execution in New England. 
 " The number of those put to death in England for 
 this crime has been estimated at thirty thousand ! " 
 something like one thousand to one for those exe- 
 cuted in New England. What truth, or candor, or 
 intelligence, is there in characterizing New England 
 as '' the land where they hung Qjiiakers and 
 loitches T The last victim that perished in Scot- 
 land, was executed as lately as 1722, — in Scotland, 
 than which there is not a more enlightened country 
 in Europe. Indeed, the most distinguished men 
 were led away with this delusion, in common with 
 the multitude. Not to occupy space, I will quote 
 only Blackstone. "To deny the possibility, nay, 
 the actual existence of witchcraft and sorcery", (Com- 
 mentary on the Laws of England,) " is at once flatly 
 to contradict the revealed word of God, in various 
 passages both of the Old and New Testament ; and 
 the thing itself is a truth to which every nation hath 
 in its turn borne testimony, either by examples seem- 
 ingly well attested, or by prohibitory laws which, at 
 
AND METHODISM. 99 
 
 least, suppose the possibility of a converse with evil 
 spirits."* 
 
 Where, then, let me ask, is the justice of singling 
 out New England as the land where this delusion 
 has prevailed, as if this were enough to stamp with 
 weakness and superstition the fathers of our country ? 
 They were, indeed, influenced by the common be- 
 lief of the times. Not to have been thus affected 
 would imply that they were either more, or less, than 
 men. But, so far were they from being subject to 
 that weakness, pecwZiarZy, the contrary was the fact. 
 So far was New England from being " the country 
 where they hung witches," it is, in truth, the country 
 where few were hung. But least of all should this 
 charge come, by way of reproach, from those whose 
 peculiar glory it is that they are the disciples of John 
 Wesley. " It was owing to this weakness," says his 
 biographer, (" a too great readiness to credit the testi- 
 mony of others,") "that Mr. Wesley so readily believed 
 most of the stories he heard concerning witchcraft 
 and apparitions." ''It is true likewise," says Mr. 
 Wesley, " that the English in general, and most of 
 the men of learning in Europe, have given up all 
 accounts of witches and apparitions, as mere old 
 wives' fables. I am sorry for it: and I willingly 
 take this opportunity of entering my solemn protest 
 against this violent compliment, which so many that 
 believe the Bible pay to those who do not believe it. 
 I take knowledge, these are at the bottom of the out- 
 cry which has been raised, and with such insolence 
 spread throughout the nation, in direct opposition 
 
 * Enc. Am., art. Witchcraft. 
 
100 CONGREGATIONALISM. 
 
 not only to the Bible, but to the suffrages of the 
 wisest and best of men in all ages and nations. 
 They well know, whether Christians know it or not, 
 that the giving up witchcraft is in effect giving up 
 the Bible."* And this was written in 1768, — seventy- 
 six years after the chief part of the delusion had 
 passed away from New England. Truly, this is 
 the land where they believed in witchcraft ! That 
 popular delusion did indeed prevail here ; but New 
 England was as far in advance of the rest of the 
 world, in this respect, as she was in all others. He 
 who casts sneers upon her for her popular belief, in 
 respect to these matters, betrays his own ignorance, 
 or prejudice, or both. As we proceed, we shall see 
 that other unworthy charges are equally groundless 
 and unjust. The followers of Wesley should be the 
 last to reproach the Puritans for being led away by 
 that common error of the times. We have only to 
 open our eyes, and we shall discover not only mon- 
 uments of Providential regard, but of the distinguish- 
 ing glories of our Puritan fathers, — monuments which 
 should lead our children to inquire, (and none hut 
 childi^en s\\o\\\di ,need to ask,) What mean ye by 
 these stones 7 Let us teach these things to our 
 children ; let us labor to cultivate these principles in 
 every heart, till throughout the length and breadth of 
 our country there be found no viper to sting the 
 bosom that has nourished it, 
 
 * Whitehead's Life of John Wesley, pp. 189, 190. 
 
VI. 
 
 '' Doth our law judge any man befoee it hear him, and 
 
 KNOW WHAT HE DOETH 1 " Johll 7 : 51. 
 
 Blue Laws of Connecticut — Persecution — Roger Williams — The Anabaptists — 
 The auakers. 
 
 This question of Nicodemus is based alike in com- 
 mon sense, and common justice ; and yet few prin- 
 ciples have been oftener violated than this, by the 
 stale and slanderous misrepresentations which are so 
 commonly heard, of the fathers of New England, — 
 the founders of the institutions which are the pre- 
 eminent glory of our land. They were men who 
 lived not for themselves. They not only lived and 
 labored, but they died^ for posterity. We have been 
 permitted to enter into their labors ; and yet there 
 are those who can ridicule and reproach their mem- 
 ories, even while revelling upon the fruits of their 
 toil. 
 
 We have glanced, hastily, over some of the facts 
 which exhibit the character of the Puritans, and the 
 principles for which they contended, " even unto 
 blood ;" — facts which show that the peculiarities of 
 their religious system were the springs which put 
 in motion that train of influences which is leading 
 on to the emancipation of the world from both civil 
 andreligious thraldom; — facts which show that every 
 
102 CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 privilege which we now enjoy was elaborated, and 
 matured, and established, by those far-reaching and 
 self-denying men. Not that they were inspired, — 
 not that they were perfect, — not that they always 
 7nade a right application of their own j)rinciples, — 
 not that they had cast oft' all the prejudices and 
 errors of the dark ages, from which they had but 
 just emerged ; — but to censure or reproach those men 
 for these things is as unreasonable, as to censure or 
 reproach the distinguished genius which applied the 
 powers of steam to the arts of life, because he did 
 not perceive the full extent of its application ; or be- 
 cause he was beclouded by the ignorance, or misled 
 by the prejudices of the times in which he lived. 
 Such charges, made on such grounds, more justly lie 
 at the door of those who urge them. 
 
 Who has not heard of " The Blue Laws of Con- 
 necticut ?" Those who know little of the history of 
 their country, are frequently familiar with these fa- 
 bles, and are ready to point to them, as characteris- 
 tic of our ancestors. 
 
 What, then, was the origin of the book which 
 bears the above title ? It was the fictitious produc- 
 tion of an enemy^ for the sole purpose of casting 
 odium and contempt upon the principles and the in- 
 stitutions of those whom he thus slanders. There 
 were, of course, many things in the personal habits, 
 and in the social and civil regulations of our fathers, 
 that appear to us quaint and antiquated, — which 
 partook of the times in Avhich they lived ; but the 
 author of that book filled it with tales, and pretend- 
 ed facts which never had an existence, except in his 
 own imagination. 
 
AND METHODISM. 103 
 
 But who was the author of that book ? An 
 Episcopal clergymaiij who had labored to propagate 
 the principles of Episcopacy among a people that, 
 with the true old Puritan spirit, refused to bow their 
 necks to the yoke which had been cast oif by their 
 fathers. And when the Revolutionary contest com- 
 menced, he joined the enemies of liberty, and then 
 wrote a book filled with caricatures of Puritan- 
 ism, and which was worthy to stand on the same 
 shelf with *' the Adventures of Sinbad the Sailor." 
 But so often has this book been quoted, that multi- 
 tudes suppose it to contain the veritable laws of 
 Connecticut. 
 
 More unjust, though with more semblance of 
 truth, are the charges of persecution, which have 
 so often been made against the fathers of New Eng- 
 land. They are more unjust, because, more impor- 
 tant principles being involved, they bear more heavi- 
 ly upon the characters of the pretended persecutors ; 
 but they bear more of the semblance of truth, be- 
 cause our fathers, acting under the law of self -pre- 
 servatiouj sometimes forgot their own principles, 
 and even mingled error with truth. They supposed, 
 — and in many cases, perhaps, truly, — that severity 
 was, at times, necessary, not only in preserving 
 their principles from being contaminated by what 
 they regarded as fundamental error, but in guarding 
 their institutions and themselves from a hierarchy, on 
 the one hand ; and on the other, from the insidious 
 approaches of arbitrary power. In estimating their 
 conduct, it is indispensable, that facts and circum- 
 stances be taken into the account ; and yet both 
 have been most injuriously overlooked. 
 
104 CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 1. The first settlers of New England, by their 
 sacrificesj and in view of the objects which they 
 were aiming to accomplish, regarded themselves as 
 possessing the right to adopt their own principles of 
 government, even to the exclusion of those who 
 differed essentially from them. They had sacrificed 
 all the comforts and privileges of their native land, 
 for one great object , — the enjoyment of their own 
 rights and principles in government and rehgion. 
 To achieve this object, they had gone out from the 
 pale of civilization into an unbroken wilderness. 
 What right had others to molest them, by their in- 
 trusions, and by efforts directly intended to subvert 
 these newly established institutions ? We, in the 
 manhood of our strength, enact and enforce alien 
 and naturalization laws, to protect ourselves and our 
 institutions ; and thus we advertise all who Avould 
 come among us ; " Conform to these principles, or 
 stay awayP We assert the right, for ourselves, to 
 enact just such laws as we deem necessary for the 
 attainment of these objects ; and shall we question 
 the right of our fathers to adopt the same principles ? 
 They may have been severe and even impolitic, in 
 the application of these principles ; they doubtless 
 were ; but let us not condemn them for adopting 
 principles which we ourselves continue to practice. 
 
 2. Another thing which is to be noticed, as a 
 characteristic of those times, was a commingling of 
 civil and ecclesiastical m^atters. 
 
 It had long been the principle of the Catholic 
 world, that the Church is above the State ; and af- 
 ter the authority of the Pope was renounced in Eng- 
 
AND METHODISM. * 105 
 
 land, the Sovereign was still regarded, there, as the 
 head of the Church. Under this evil our fathers had 
 long groaned ; and although they did not seem to 
 perceive, with perfect distinctness, where to draw 
 the line between " Church and State,^^ still they 
 watched, with a most jealous eye, every thing which 
 they regarded as tending towards the yoke from 
 which they had so recently escaped. 
 
 3. ^11 those individuals and sects,' which our 
 fathers opposed, commingled loith their religious 
 
 opinions, more or less of opposition to the civil gov - 
 ernment of the Colonies. 
 
 They were not satisfied with being permitted to 
 enjoy their religious opinions, and to express them, 
 in a religious way ; or rather, it was a part of the 
 rehgion, of some of them, to oppose the existing 
 governments of these infant colonies. Even in the 
 case of Roger Williams, who was far from being the 
 most violent, Gov. Winthrop tells us that even he 
 was sent out of the Colony, not because of his opin- 
 ions as a Baptist, but because he endeavored to 
 alienate and divide the colonists, while they were 
 scarcely able to stand together.* 
 
 4. The feebleness of the colonies, and the dan- 
 gers which threatened them from the French and 
 Indians, and from the mother country, where the 
 principles from which they had fled were still in op- 
 eration, all combined to impress our fathers with the 
 necessity of guarding themselves, effectually, from 
 every internal cause of weakness. This is a con- 
 
 * Winthrop's Journal, pp. 86,88 ; Hutchinson's Hist. Mass. Vol. 
 I. p. 41. 
 
106 CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 sideralion which we can scarcely appreciate ; just as 
 the full grown man loses the impressions of weak- 
 ness and of danger which he felt in childhood. 
 
 5. As their i^eligious principles were the sources 
 of their civil institutions, it was natural that the Pu- 
 ritans should feel a deep apprehension excited by 
 whatever should corrupt their religious principles ; 
 for thus all that they held dear would be undermined 
 and destroyed together. 
 
 With these facts distinctly before our minds, let 
 us come to the examination of the charges of perse- 
 cution which have been made against our fathers. 
 
 Roger Williams came to New England about the 
 year 1630. He was at that time a Congregational 
 minister, in regular standing. The church at Salem 
 invited him to become an assistant to their pastor. 
 The Governor and Council, fearful of the tendency 
 of his principles, 7iot merely upon the churches, 
 " but upon the p>olitical constitution of the coun- 
 tryj^* advised the church at Salem not to employ 
 Mr. Williams as their pastor. It was not, therefore, 
 Quere religious j^ersecution, as some would have 
 us believe ; but, as Gov. Winthrop asserts, political 
 considerations were leading, if not the leading rea- 
 sons for guarding against the effect of what were 
 then considered as disorganizing principles. Oppo- 
 sition to Mr. Williams was increased by the course 
 which he pursued on two points, which were then 
 regarded as important by all parties. (1.) He refus- 
 ed to hold religious intercourse with the church at 
 Boston, because they would not make a public and 
 
 * Mather's Magnalia, Vol. IT. p. 430. 
 
AND METHODISM.- 107 
 
 solemn declaration of their repentance for commun- 
 ing with the Church of England, while they were 
 in the realm of England. (2.) He violently de- 
 claimed against the right of the civil magistrate to 
 punish breaches of "the first table of the moral 
 law." for example, blasphemy, which is even now 
 punished under many civil governments. 
 
 To appreciate the first of these charges, it is ne- 
 cessary to remark, that the Puritans v/ere divided 
 upon the question of religious intercourse with the 
 Church of England. Many of the Puritans still 
 continued that intercourse, showing, if that fact is 
 a recommendation, that they were not the bigots 
 which many would represent them to be. But there 
 were those, who were for overturning every thing, in 
 State as well as in Church. Mr. Williams was re- 
 garded as belonging to this number. It is not sur- 
 prising, therefore, that the governments of New 
 England, in their weakness, should stand in fear of 
 all who were infected with those principles. How 
 far Mr. Williams was infected we do not assert ; bat 
 his sympathy, real or supposed, with that party, 
 vrould naturally excite apprehension. 
 
 The Church at Salem accepting the advice given 
 them, Mr. Williams went to Plymouth ; but not suc- 
 ceeding according to his Avishes, he returned again to 
 Salem, where he was employed. " It happened soon 
 after this, that the Church " (at Salem) '^ applied to 
 the court for a piece of ground which lay commodious 
 for their aifairs ; but the court, offended at the slight 
 latterly put upon them, delayed to grant their petition. 
 
X08 CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 Whereupon Mr. Williams induced '' the Church to 
 join with him in writing letters of admonition to 
 all the Churches whereof any of the magistrates 
 were members, that they might admonish the magis- 
 trates of scandalous injustice for denying this peti- 
 tion ;" a step which, it is readily seen, was, in those 
 times, adapted^ as it was doubtless intended^ to 
 weaken the power of the government. One thing, 
 however, is most evident, viz., the ill grace with 
 which Mr. Williams and his party could complain of 
 the interference of the civil authority in Church af- 
 fairs, when he was himself the first to induce the 
 Church to interfere in civil matters. All that the Gov- 
 ernor and Council had done, was simply to give ad- 
 vice, while he would have the Church administer its 
 censures upon civil magistrates, for not obeying, in 
 their official capacity, the will of the Church ; and 
 even on points involving no principle of moral- 
 ity. We may thus correct the representations of 
 those biographers and historians, who ascribe to 
 Roger Williams the discovery of the great principle 
 of an entire separation of civil and ecclesiastical 
 matters. If he had made that discovery, he, equall}^, 
 at least, with some of his contemporaries, was, at 
 times, inconsistent with his own principles.* An il- 
 lustration of this appears in the very next step. The 
 churches, to which those letters were addressed, di- 
 rected their labors, not to the magistrates, but to the 
 Church at Salem, to reclaim them from discoun- 
 
 * " He, perhaps, allowed his feelings to bias his judgment j * * * 
 and to make him forget his own principles of liberty of conscience." 
 Memoir of Roger Williams, p. 47, by James D. Knowles. 
 
AND METHODISM. 109 
 
 tenancing, disorganizing measures. Mr. Williams, 
 therefore. in accordance with ]iis principles, attempted 
 to withdraw the church at Salem from communion 
 with all the churches in Neiu England, as well as 
 in Old ; but as they would not yield to his proposals, 
 " he never would come to their assemblies any more, 
 no, nor hold any exercise of rehgion with any per- 
 son, so much as his own wife, who went to their 
 assemblies." 
 
 ^^ These things were very disturbant and offen- 
 sive, bui there were two other things that made it 
 no longer convenient for the civil authority to re- 
 main unconcerned about him. For, first, whereas 
 the king of England had granted a royal charter 
 unto the Governor and company of the colony, 
 which patent was indeed the very Hfe of the colony, 
 he preached against the patent, as an instrument of 
 injustice, and pressed both rulers and people to be 
 humbled for their sin in taking such a patent, and 
 utterly throw it up, on pretence of wrong thereby 
 done to the Indians, which were the natives of the 
 country therein given to the subjects of the English 
 crown. Secondly, an order of the court, upon some 
 just occasion, had been made, that an oath of fidelity 
 should be, though not imposed upon, yet offered un- 
 to the freemen, the better* to distinguish those whose 
 fidelity might render them capable of employment in 
 the government : which order this man vehemently 
 withstood, on a pernicious pretence that it was the 
 prerogative of our Lord Jesus Christ alone to have 
 his office established with an oath ; and that an 
 oath, being the worship of God, carnal persons" (those 
 
 6 
 
110 CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 not regenerate) " whereof he supposed there were 
 many in the land, might not be put upon it. These 
 crimes at last ijrocured a sentence of ha7iishment 
 iqoon Imn^* 
 
 It seems most evident, from these facts, that the 
 character of Roger Williams, and the treatment 
 which he received from the colonies, have been 
 greatly misunderstood. 
 
 1. He was not opj^osedfor being a Baj)tist j for 
 he was not then a Baptist, but a Congregational 
 minister, in regular standing. 
 
 2. He icas not '-'■ 'persecuted for conscience^ sakeP 
 However conscientious he might have been in 
 
 his principles and practice, it was not the design of 
 the government to correct his conscience, or to pun- 
 ish him for obeying its dictates, but, as was then 
 thought, for infringing upon the rights of others. 
 He was not banished merely for '^ his opinions." 
 
 The testimony of Mather, in addition to that al- 
 ready quoted from Gov. Winthrop, shows that there 
 was no interference by the civil authorities, on ac- 
 count of his religious opinions and practices, ex- 
 cept by way of advice and caution, — until he made 
 them the occasion of assault upon important princi- 
 ples in civil government, which rendered him, in 
 their opinion, dangerous not only to the peace^ but 
 the safety of the state. So far were they from ex- 
 hibiting the hot haste of persecuting bigots, there loas 
 a delay of nearly five years ; and when they finally 
 proceeded to active measures, it is expressly asserted 
 that they acted in view of jjoUtical offences. And 
 
 * Magnalia, Vol. II. p. 431. 
 
AND METHODISM. m 
 
 even then, all that was done was simply to remove 
 him from the colony, where he might follow their 
 example in establishing his own peculiar principles 
 without annoying others.* " They had come to the 
 outside of the world for the privilege of living by 
 themselves. Why should they open their asylum" 
 to those whose principles, as they feared, might con- 
 vert tha,t asylum into the " grinding house" of oppres- 
 sion ? 
 
 3. To Roger Williams has been awarded the pre- 
 eminent glory of discovering the principle of a sep- 
 aration between the church and the state. Bancroft 
 labors a wreath for his brow, as the discoverer of a 
 great principle ; that " the magistrate should * * never 
 control opinion ; * * should never violate the freedom 
 of the soul.t But when we have followed the histo- 
 rian through page after page of ornate composition, 
 we involuntarily pause, and inquire," What is the 
 authors design 7 We turn back and read, " A wide 
 experience had emancipated them" (the Puritans) 
 " from bigotry ; and they were never betrayed into the 
 excesses of persecution, though they sometimes per- 
 mitted a disproportion between punishment and 
 crime." " An entire separation was made between 
 state and church ; religious worship was estabUshed 
 on the basis of the independence of each separate 
 community ; and these rigid Calvinists, of whose 
 rude intolerance the world has been filled with ma- 
 lignant calumnies, subscribed a covenant, cherishing, 
 it is true, the severest virtues, but without one tinge 
 of fanaticism." " The motives which controlled 
 
 * See Note at the end of this chapter, p. 127. 
 t Hist. U. S., Vol. I. p. 3C7. 
 
112 CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 their decisions were so deeply seated in the very 
 character of their party, that the doctrine and disci- 
 phne then estabUshed at Salem remained the rule of 
 Puritans in New England.'** 
 
 Now, what if our fathers, under the operation of 
 human imperfection, and of the times in which they 
 lived, did sometimes fail in the appUcation of their 
 principles, do they merit those left-handed thrusts ? 
 and are those invidious comparisons sustained by 
 facts, even Mr. Bancroft himself being judge ? It ap- 
 pears to have been a part of Roger "Williams' reli- 
 gion to assail some of the fundamental principles of 
 civil government, such as administering oaths of 
 office to civil officers indiscriminately. He labored 
 with the church at Salem, to induce it to administer 
 spiritual reproof and discipline to officers of govern- 
 ment, because of their refusal to yield subordination 
 to the decisions of the church. 
 
 In our criticisms upon some portions of Roger 
 WilHams' history, we would be insensible to none of 
 his claims to the gratitude and veneration of man- 
 kind. We only oppose those unjust claims, which 
 are sometimes urged at the expense of the other 
 fathers of New England. It is too much to claim 
 for any of them^ that they saw all truth ; that tvas 
 i7?i2)ossible, for the mists of the morning yet hung 
 upon all their mountains. Roger Williams was a 
 great and a good man. At some points he was " from 
 his shoulders and upward above all the people." He 
 saw, with great distinctness, for those times, the line 
 between political and civil institutions. Emphatic- 
 ally was he possessed of that magnanimity of soul, 
 
 * Bancroft's Hist. U. S., Vol. I-rp. 348,349. 
 
AND METHODISM. 113 
 
 which is manifested in the forgiveness of injuries. 
 But he lacked certain quaUties, which were indispen- 
 sable to inspire the more sober fathers of New Eng- 
 land with confidence in his views. These cannot 
 be described more satisfactorily to all parties, than in 
 the language of one of his biographers. 
 
 " The faults of Mr. Williams sprung, in part, from 
 the imperfections of human nature, and in part from 
 his temperament and the constitution of his mind. 
 He was ardent, and his imaginatmi was the most 
 active of his intellectual qualities. He sometimes 
 adopted opinions, rather hy a sudden hound of the 
 imagination, than by a regular process of reason- 
 ing. His ardor, and his conscientious and fearless 
 love of truth, impelled him to act on his opinion, 
 with a degree of energy and firmness which exposed 
 him to the charge of obstinacy. Such a man will 
 occasionally fall into error^ and into rapid transi- 
 tions, which will give to his conduct the appearance 
 of inconsistency."* 
 
 It is easy to conceive, how such a mind, coming 
 into contact with others of a different cast, at such 
 points, at that period of time, ayid under such cir- 
 cumstances, should excite, first, mistrust, and then 
 opposition. It could not be otherwise. Hence, there 
 would be m^utual misunderstandings, and unneces- 
 sary apprehension. Each had his errors ; and 
 these would produce mutual repulsion and exacer- 
 bation of mind. 
 
 It is difficult for us at this distance of time, to 
 
 * Memoir of Roger Williams, p, 389. By James D. Knowles. The 
 italicizins is mine. 
 
114 CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 form any other than meager conceptions of the na- 
 ture and progress of those caAises, as they appeared 
 to the minds of our fathers, which led to the removal 
 of Mr. WilUams from Massachusetts. The his- 
 tory of his opinions on the subjects of Baptism and 
 Church order, furnish a clue to the manner in which 
 he would propound and maintain his opinions, and 
 urge them upon others. Some time after he com- 
 menced his colony at Providence, — how long after it 
 does not appear, — he changed his opinions on the 
 subject of Baptism, and was immersed. In a few 
 months after, — perhaps by one of those " sudden 
 bounds of the imagination," — thinking that the true 
 church was lost, he withdrew from church fellow- 
 ship, and thus continued during the remainder of his 
 life. 
 
 Now, while we would not attempt to justify all 
 the measures which were adopted against him, 
 every candid mind will admit, without hesitation, 
 that there was much to ijalliate them. None can 
 fail of perceiving the injustice of placing those mea- 
 sures in the same category with the persecutions from 
 which our fathers had just fled. Professor Knowles 
 candidly admits, " that they " (the government) 
 "banished him, 7iot so much to punish him, as to 
 remove from the colony a man whose doctrines" (jpo- 
 litical as well as religious) " they believed to be 
 wrong," and " whose influence they feared."* This 
 we conceive to be the correct view of this case, and of 
 all similar ones. The object was, not to coerce the 
 conscience, or to punish those v/ho obeyed its dic- 
 
 * Memoir of Roger Williams, p. 88. 
 
AND METHODISM. 115 
 
 tates, hut to secure their own safety. Confiimatory 
 of this view, as derived from the testimony of Gov, 
 Winthrop and others, we add a quotation from the 
 celebrated John Cotton, when writing upon this very 
 case. 
 
 " We have tolerated in our churches, some Ana- 
 baptists, some Antinomians, and some Seekers, and 
 do so stilly at this day. We are far from arrogating 
 infallibility of judgment to ourselves, or affecting 
 UNIFORMITY. Uniformity God never required ; 
 infallibility he never granted us."* 
 
 Let it be remembered, that it is not my object to 
 draw a comparison between Roger Williams and 
 others; but to inquire into the justice of the charge, 
 ^' that our fathers persecuted others, as they them- 
 selves had been persecuted." With such facts before 
 us, what does it avail, that the haters of our fathers' 
 principles, like scavengers, collect together their errors 
 and inconsistencies, and heap them like " Ossa tqjon 
 PelionV (Quotations like those Avhich are here 
 made, show to the world the germ of that noble tree^ 
 whose branches now overshadow our land. 
 
 It appears, therefore, that Roger Williams might 
 not only have enjoyed his religious opinions, but ad- 
 vocated them, if he had not done it in a way that was 
 regarded by those who had planted these colonies at 
 the expense of all things, as tending and as desig7ied 
 to subvert, or at least radically to change the civil 
 institutions of these infant States. And there is no 
 evidence that invalidates this testimony. Detached 
 
 ^ Benedict, Vol. I, p. 377, quoted by Prof. Knowles, in his Memoir 
 of Roger Williams, p. 245. 
 
116 CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 scraps, collected and presented b)^ interested partisans, 
 or declamatory demagogues, though filling volumes^ 
 or breathing all the enchantment of rhetoric, should 
 not set aside the 'positive testimony of one such 
 witness as Governor Winthrop. Whatever else he 
 was, Governor Winthrop was an honest man ; and 
 he "testified " not merely " that which he had heard," 
 but " which he had seen with his eyes, and which" 
 he had " handled." Who occupy the position most 
 favorable for a correct judgment respecting a man's 
 character and influence ? Those who live at a dis- 
 tance of two centuries ; or those who hear his words 
 and his very tone, and who witness his actions, and 
 his look and gesture, and who can watch the ebb and 
 flow of his influence upon the popular mind, and 
 who are familiar with all the circumstances which 
 can aggravate or modify causes ? 
 
 A single circumstance, very slight in itself, shows, 
 as straws show the direction of the v/ind, how easily 
 the public mind was agitated and unsettled. " One 
 man, under impressions from the ministry of Mr. 
 Williams, did, by his own authority, cut the red 
 cross out of the king's colors, to testify a zeal against 
 the continuance, or appearance of a superstition. * * * 
 Besides the mischiefs hereby occasioned among the 
 trained soldiers, whereof some were loth to follow 
 the colors which had the cross, lest they should put 
 honor upon a Popish idol ; others were loth to follow 
 the colors which had not the cross, lest they should 
 seem to cast ofl" their allegiance to the crown of Eng- 
 land, — the business fell under agitation in the general 
 court."* 
 
 * Mather's Magnalia, Vol. XL p. 433. 
 
AND METHODISM. 117 
 
 Resulting from this was another fact, of decisive 
 weight upon the question whether our fathers '■'"per- 
 secuted for conscience' sake!'' A committee of 
 freemen, chosen both by the people and the magis- 
 trates, decided that the leading offender in the above 
 affair, should be disabled, for that act, from holding 
 any public office for one year. " A harder sentence 
 was not passed, because real tenderness of con- 
 science, and not any ill-affected mind, ivas the 
 real original of his offence^ Thus it appears that 
 an erratic conscience, so far from subjecting men to 
 legal penalties, loas actually a shelter against their 
 infliction. 
 
 In considering the laws which were enacted 
 against the " Aiiabaptists,^'' we must have regard to 
 the period in which they originated. It was at a 
 time when the impressions made by the " Munster 
 tragedy" were fresh in the memory. '' The General 
 Court were afraid lest matters might at last, from 
 small beginnings, grow into a neiu Munster trage- 
 dy, that they enacted some laws for the restraining 
 of Anabaptistical exorbitances ; which laws, though 
 never executed unto the extremity of them, yet were 
 soon laid aside as to any execution of them at all."* 
 
 Notvv^ithstanding these fears have been ridiculed, 
 as being excited by a "phantom," we must say, 
 that those who know any thing of the atrocities 
 which were perpetrated by Munzer and his follow- 
 ers, might be expected to make great allowance for 
 the acts of the Puritans in reference to this matter. 
 But whether those fears were icell or ill founded, is 
 
 * Mather's Magnalia, Vol. II. p. 460. 
 
 6* 
 
118 CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 not 71070 the question. The only question now is, 
 Did our fathers persecute for conscience' sake ? Or 
 did they, in view of these fears, adopt measures in 
 self-defence ? This question can be answered from 
 Prof KnoAvles' Memoir of Roger Williams. 
 
 " Forasmuch as experience hath plentifully and 
 often proved, that since the first rising of Anabaptists 
 about one hundred years since, they have been the 
 incendiaries of the commonwealth, and the infectors 
 of persons in the main matters of religion, and the 
 troublers of churches in all places where they have 
 been, and that they who have held the baptizing of 
 infants unlawful ; have usually held other errors and 
 heresies therewith, * * * and whereas divers of this 
 kind have * * appeared among oiu'selves, some where 
 of, denied the ordinance of magistracy, and the law- 
 fulness of making war ; and others the lawfulness of 
 magistrates, and their inspection into any breach of 
 the first table ; which opinions, if they should be 
 connived at by us, * * must necessarily bring guilt 
 upon us, infection to the churches, and hazard to the 
 whole commonwealth ; it is ordered and agreed," 
 that if any " openly" advocate the above " Anabap- 
 tist" doctrines, or " go about secretly to seduce others" 
 to them, "every such person or persons shall be 
 banished."* 
 
 It is evident, that the government of Massachu- 
 setts had in view the peace and purity of the 
 churches, as well as the safety of the conimon- 
 
 * Act of General Court of Mass., Nov. 1644, quoted by Prof. 
 Knowles, in Memoir of Roger Williams, pp. 201, 202, from Backus, 
 Vol. I. p. 150. 
 
AND METHODISM. 119 
 
 wealth. It is equally clear, that for the attainment 
 of the former object they had not learned to trust 
 with confidence, in the power of truth ; yet this 
 *' Act," itself, shows, that its authors did not intend 
 to interpose their authority, except to prevent the 
 actual propagation of doctrines which had a politi- 
 cal bearing. Prof. Knowles says, ^' Mr. Williams 
 was accused of preaching doctrines ' tending to An- 
 abaptistry ;' a charge lahich was meant to impute 
 to Jii?n principles subversive of civil order, ra- 
 ther THAN HETERODOX notioTis couceming the 
 rite of baptism.'''^ 
 
 * Memoir of Roger Williams, p. 163. It is not only exceedingly 
 grateful to our own feelings, but " it is due to the principal actors 
 in these scenes, to record the fact, * * that personal animosity had 
 little if any share in producing the sentence of banishment." * * 
 "Governor Winthrop was a generous friend to" Mr. Williams, 
 « throughout his life." * * " Mr. Cotton was, at that time, the 
 most powerful man in the commonwealth ; and well did his piety, 
 learning, and intrepid love of pure religion merit the respect and af- 
 fections of the colonists. Whatever share he may have had" in this 
 afiair, " it is certain that there was no personal feud between them. 
 They had been acquainted with each other in England, and had alike 
 suffered from the intolerance of the Prelates. Mr. Cotton sincerely 
 thought Mr. Williams' principles * * dangerous to the church and the 
 state. He felt it to be the duty of the government to protect the col- 
 ony, by removing from it this source of peril." (do. pp. 78,9.) 
 
 We may add, that these harmonious feelings were never interrupt- 
 ed, but continued to exhibit themselves in various kind offices, and 
 acts of friendship. And not only so, there was at first, and for a long 
 period, a most free and friendly intercourse between Congregational and 
 Baptist ministers and churches ; even at the ordination of ministers, 
 they met in council as pastors and delegates, and united in the public 
 exercises.* If our Baptist brethren claim for the founders of Rhode 
 Island a precedence in liberal principles, they m.ust allow, or at least 
 * Calender. 
 
120 CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 Our limits forbid farther quotations ; but it seems 
 to us clear, from their own positive assertions, al- 
 ready quoted, that, however the Puritan legislators 
 desired to preserve the purity of religion, the last 
 quotation from Prof Knowles is in accordance with 
 the real nature and design of all their legislation, on 
 these matters. 
 
 But we should remember, that almost all the legis- 
 lation, of the above character, was confined to the 
 colony of Massachusetts. Where is the justice of 
 the " imputation" of this sin of one upon all ? 
 
 While we admit, therefore, that our fathers did 
 not perceive clearly, where to draw the line between 
 politics and religion, yet who can doubt that the 
 principles which controlled their conduct, were total- 
 ly different from the persecuting spirit which was 
 the characteristic of the times ? Is it not confound- 
 ing things that differ, and misleading the popular 
 mind, as well as inflicting deep injustice upon those 
 pioneers of civil and religious liberty, to denominate 
 their actions jiersecution, in the common acceptation 
 of that term? Is it not most evident, that in all 
 their acts, the principle of self-preservation stands 
 out more prominently than any other ? Where, then, 
 is the justice of this indiscriminate application of the 
 branding iron of infamy ? Yet smarting from the 
 fires of persecution, no wonder they looked with ap- 
 prehension upon every rising cloud, and that they 
 took efficient measures to avert the storm. To 
 protect themselves, and to suppress immoralities 
 
 the verdict of the world will be, that their sun has " gone bachvard 
 upon the dial." 
 
AND METHODISM. \ol 
 
 in a new state, fonnded under such circumstanceSj 
 is a very different thing from employing the same 
 measures in a country, where all possess, inherent- 
 ly, the same privileges. Is it a thing unheard of, 
 except among Puritans, to suppress immoralities 
 by law ? They may have carried, and doubtless 
 did carry, the principle too far ; but a onis applica- 
 tion of a principle does not invalidate its correct- 
 ness. That the Puritans, as a general remark^ 
 did not intend to interfere with " opinions," ex- 
 cept as they had a political bearing, is evident 
 from the fact that Roger Williams, as well as others, 
 held and propagated, in peace, many opinions, both 
 m politics and religion, essentially different from 
 those entertained by the government and the domi- 
 nant party. That is an indisputable fact, which 
 outweighs pages of declamatory or sectarian senti- 
 mentalism. It would be no difficult matter, two 
 centuries hence, to select from the words of Wm.. 
 Lloyd Garrison, (if they should then survive,) or of 
 any other no-government man, whose motto is, " the 
 LARGEST LIBERTY," and who discourscs eloquently 
 upon "popular rights," and "liberty of conscience," 
 and, by the aid of a creative imagination, and a flow- 
 ing diction, to create a martyr — a paragon, among 
 the heroes of civil and religious liberty. Let the 
 wand of the historian, at that distance of time, but 
 touch the ashes of Abby Kelly, and there shall spring 
 forth the very personification of Liberty, the goddess 
 herself, v%ath sword and helmet and shield. 
 
 Another charge against the Puritans is that of 
 the persecution of the Quakers. 
 
122 CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 Whenever we think of a Q^uaker, there rises up 
 before us a quiet, inoifensive man, with a peculiar 
 hat and coat ; wlio, so far from interfering with the 
 opinions and rights of others, scarcely makes an ef- 
 fort to propagate, or even to defend, his own. He, 
 who supposes that such a picture represents a (Qua- 
 ker of olden time, has totally mistaken his man. No 
 two characters can be more diverse. Both, indeed, 
 claim to be guided by " the hght within," — but this 
 was formerly but a cloak for every outrage, and every 
 indecency. 
 
 The political principles then held and practised 
 by the (Quakers whom our fathers opposed, may 
 be gathered from the title of one of their books. It 
 ran thus : " Against all earthly powers, parliaments, 
 laws, charters, magistrates, and princes." * One of 
 their writers attempts to prove, "that every govern- 
 ment, consisting of rulers, judges, justices, lawyers, 
 and constables, is a tree that must be cut down, for 
 the light alone to rule." Had these things hap- 
 pened, when social and civil matters possessed the 
 maturity of our times, they would have been as little 
 regarded as the wind. One of the Puritan histori- 
 ans entreats the world " not to be too ready to receive 
 all the stories told by (Quakers about the New Eng- 
 land persecutions ; because they have in print com- 
 plained of a persecution upon two women of their 
 sect, who came stark naked, as ever they were born, 
 into our public assemblies ; and for that act were 
 adjudged to the whipping-post. Their stories about 
 their sufferings, are as little to be credited as their 
 
 * Mather's Magnalia, Vol. II. p. 454. 
 
AND METHODISM. 123 
 
 miracles."* Their violations of decency, and their 
 proceedings at their own meetings, are well exempli- 
 fied by the recent acts of the " Millerites" in the 
 State of Maine, where individuals of that sect have 
 been sentenced, even in these times, to houses of 
 correction for their irregularities. It would doubtless 
 have been more fitting, had our fathers adjudged such 
 offenders to a Lunatic Asylum, (if such an institution 
 had then existed,) instead of the whipping-post, or 
 the gallows ; but to call those punishments persecu- 
 tion^ is as manifestly unjust as it would be to brand 
 with that charge the Massachusetts judge, who sen- 
 tenced Abby Kelly to the Insane Hospital at Wor- 
 cester, for disturbing public proceedings. Individ- 
 uals have been carried out of churches, and even to 
 jail, in New Hampshire, — that pink of democracy, — 
 for disturbing public worship. Why not connect 
 modern New Hampshire with Puritan Massachusetts, 
 in the charge of " persecution ? "' What difference 
 is there in the principle of restraining men's con- 
 sciences, in the two cases, though it is not carried 
 to quite an equal extent ? 
 
 But many of the people of the colonies being 
 dissatisfied with the exercise of any great severity, 
 the General Court of Massachusetts made, in 1659, 
 what they called " a Declaration." " About three 
 years since," they say, " divers persons, professing 
 themselves to be (Quakers, (of whose pernicious opin- 
 ions and practices we had received intelligence from 
 good hands,) arrived in Boston, whose persons were 
 only secured to be sent away by the first opportunity, 
 * Mather's Magnalia, Vol. II. p. 455. 
 
124 CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 without censure or punishment, although their pro- 
 fessed tenetSj turbulent and contemptuous behavior 
 to authority, would have justified a severer animad- 
 version. A law was made and published, prohibit- 
 ing them from coming in, on penalty of the house of 
 correction, till they could be sent away. Notwith- 
 standing which, by a back door they found entrance ; 
 and the penalty proving insufficient to restrain their 
 impudent and insolent intrusions, was increased ; 
 which also being too weak a defence against their 
 impetuous and fanatic fury, necessitated us to en- 
 deavor our security ; and upon serious consideration, 
 a law was made that such persons should be ban- 
 ished, on pain of death, according to the example of 
 England in their provisions against the Jesuits ;* 
 which sentence being regularly pronounced, at the 
 last court of assistants, against these parties, and 
 they either returning, or presumptuously continuing 
 in this jurisdiction after the time limited, were appre- 
 
 * The same principle was also applied, in England, about the same 
 time, to the Quakers. Charles XL, writing to the colony of Massachu- 
 setts in 1662, sa3's, " We cannot be understood hereby to direct, or 
 wish, that any indulgence should be granted to those persons com- 
 monly called Quakers, whose i)rinciples being inconsistent ivith amj 
 kind of government, we have found it necessary, by the advice of par- 
 liament here, to make a sharp law against them, and we are well con- 
 tented that you should do the like there." Holmes' Annals, Vol, I. p, 
 322, (Note.) 
 
 Laws, of the same character, and even more extensive, and of 
 equal severity with those passed in Massachusetts, were passed in 
 Virginia, in 1659, 1662, and 1693, do. p. 323, (Note.) 
 
 " Nor may it be forgotten * * * that the tendency of their tenets and 
 practices," (the first Quakers of New England,) " was to the subversion 
 of the commonwealth, in that period of its infancy." Holmes' An- 
 nals, Vol. L p. 319, (Note.) 
 
AND METHODISM. 125 
 
 hended, and, owning themselves to be the persons 
 banished, were sentenced by the court to death, — 
 which hath been executed upon two of them. One, 
 upon the interposition of a son, had hberty to depart, 
 and accepted it. The consideration of our gradual 
 proceedings will vindicate us from the clamorous 
 accusations of severity ; our oivnjiist and necessary 
 defence calling upon us (other means failing) to oifer, 
 the j:>oi7it which these persons have violently and 
 wilfully rushed upon, and thereby became felones 
 de se (" felons by .suicide'"), — as well as the sparing of 
 one, upon an inconsiderable intercession, will mani- 
 festly evince that we desire their lives absent, rather 
 than their deaths present." * 
 
 These extreme measures thus appear to have 
 been adopted reluctantly, in self-defence. There may 
 have been unnecessary severity — there doubtless 
 was, — but they thought there was a necessity for se- 
 verity.! 
 
 * Mather's Magnalia, Vol. I. p. 454. 
 
 t It is easy for those whose taste and principles incline them in 
 that direction, to fill a volume with tales, too well founded, of the se- 
 verities and inconsistencies of our fathers, — to say nothing of base 
 and calumnious fabrications which are far more abundant. But to 
 deny, for such reasons as these, the excellence, and even the existence 
 of those principles, upon which we rest the defence of those venerated 
 men, exhibits a blindness or a perversity far exceeding that which 
 would pronounce the partial obscurity of the morning dawn to be 
 Egyptian midnight, because it is not full-orbed day. And yet, this 
 is precisely the course, in effect, which is invariably pursued by the 
 maligners of the Puritans. Instead of seeking the real sources of their 
 privileges, instead of patiently and candidly inquiring for the tnith, and 
 separating it from the rubbish of the times, — many are far more de- 
 lighted with Munchausen tales, which are adapted, and intended to 
 mislead the minds of those who are too indolent to think, or too per- 
 verse to appreciate the truth, and to follow its guidance 
 
126 CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 But why select Neiu England as the scape-goat 
 upon which to lay the sins of the world, in the en- 
 actment and execution of such laws ? Far greater 
 severity was exercised in England ; while the strength 
 of the government rendered severity far less excus- 
 able. Why this tendency, this disposition, so com- 
 monly exhibited, to cast reproach upon the fathers 
 of New England, as though they were sinners above 
 all other men, in these respects ? Why this predis- 
 position to receive with, or Avithout, evidence or ex- 
 amination, whatever prejudice or sectarianism may 
 please, or may imagine to be for its interest, to lay to 
 their charge ? Why this tendency to magnify their 
 faults, and to construe their mistakes into crimes 7 
 Are the peculiarities of the times, when taken in con- 
 nection with such men, appropriate subjects of ridi- 
 cule ? Why not laugh at their round hats, and the 
 ruffles around their necks ? What is the true char- 
 acter of those who can make themselves merry at the 
 expense of such men, and of such principles ? What 
 shall be said of the feelings, which blind the mind 
 to the excellency of those great and glorious princi- 
 ples with which this land was planted ? Not to speak 
 oi ihe, j ustice due to those into whose labors we have 
 entered, what is the effect of this injustice upon the 
 minds of their posterity, — the youth of our times ? 
 The effect, and the intended effect, is, to cast dis- 
 honor upon those principles ; and thus to weaken 
 their hold upon our hearts, and their influence upon 
 our lives. And it does weaken those law-abiding 
 principles which were the stability of other times ; 
 it weakens, and loould annihilate those principles 
 
AND METHODISM. 127 
 
 which were the peciUiarity of the Puritans ; it 
 weakens even love and veneration for our country, 
 till some can speak with lightness of New England, 
 and of her institutions, — ashamed, even, of their an- 
 cestry, and of the land which gave them birth. As 
 for myself, whenever my tongue shall falter at the 
 avowal that New England is my native land, let it 
 cleave to the roof of my mouth. Others may boast 
 of titled names, and royal descent ; it is for me 
 enough of ancestral honor, that my blood is Puritan 
 blood ; that my flesh, and bones and marroio and 
 SPIRIT are NEW ENGLAND. 
 
 Note to p. 111. 
 
 The following are some of the facts, connected with the " ban- 
 ishment" of Roger Williams. The " order of the court" required his 
 speedy departure from the colony ; but in consideration of the season 
 of the year, he was permitted to remain until spring, with the under- 
 standing, at least on the part of the government, that he should refrain 
 from propagating those principles which had given offence. Refusing 
 to be silent on his favorite topics, he was about to be apprehended, and 
 sent back to England, by the first favorable opportunity ; but he pre- 
 ferred a flight beyond the boundary of the colonies, where he com- 
 menced one of his own, which he named " Providence." These facts 
 show that such unmitigated severity was not exercised towards him 
 as is sometimes represented. 
 
VII. 
 
 " KiN&S SHALL BE THY NURSING FATHERS, AND QUEENS THY NURSING 
 
 MOTHERS." Isa. 49: 23. 
 
 Union of Cliurch and State — Toleration — Saybrook Platform— Half-way Cove- 
 nant — Unitarianism — Numbers and Success not tests of Truth. 
 
 The above quotation is from the midst of the lof- 
 tiest predictions of the prosperity of Zion, — the 
 earthly kingdom of the Messiah. While, in those 
 days of Millennial glory, there shall be no '•' Union 
 of Church and State,'- in the common and odious 
 sense of that expression, it is asserted, as the irrevo- 
 cable purpose of Jehovah, that all things, even the 
 state, — civil governments and civil rulers,— shall be 
 subservient to that cause " for which all other " 
 things " were made." 
 
 We have here a clue to some important parts of 
 the civil and ecclesiastical history of New England. 
 Especially may we learn two things : 1st, while we 
 admit, that at certain points our fathers did not 
 clearly distinguish between civil and ecclesiastical 
 matters, we may discover how some of their chief mis- 
 takes originated, and thus may learn how to excuse 
 them ; and 2dly, Ave may see, with equal clearness, 
 the injustice which has been heaped upon their 
 memories, by misrepresentations of their acts and of 
 their principles. 
 
CONGREGATIONALISM, ETC. 129 
 
 Let us look at some admitted principles of our 
 own times. We claim to be a Christian nation. 
 Some, at least, of the institutions of Christianity, are 
 recognized in our statutes. The Bible is acknow- 
 ledged by politicians and legislators, as the basis of 
 our national belief. It is even claimed as the only 
 security of our civil and religious liberties. It is 
 blazoned upon political standards. It is not only 
 the rallying word of partisans^ it gathers, from all 
 parties, the watchful guardians and defenders of our 
 institutions against those insidious principles, which 
 threaten to undermine and subvert our liberties. 
 These things are found in the nineteenth century ; 
 they are not relics of the dark ages of Puritanisin ! 
 They exist to-day, and are cherished principles of 
 our own times. No one is deterred by the clamors 
 of the Catholic or the infidel, from avowing these 
 principles ; w^e do not admit that the adoption of 
 them infringes upon their rights. These are princi- 
 ples which may justly be maintained, and which 
 are necessary to our own safety. 
 
 Now, these are precisely the principles, in kind, 
 upon vv'hich our fathers aimed to act. They were 
 not only Christians, and Protestants, but Puritans. 
 They had left their native land, at the sacrifice of all 
 things, for the attainment of specific and all-impor- 
 tant objects. They ay not always have used the 
 best means ; and when they did, they may not have 
 used them in the best way. They may even have 
 overstepped, at times, the line of right : Ave admit 
 they did. But were they the only men of whom 
 these things are true? They were simpiy an 
 
130 CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 American farty^ — the party which now demands 
 that our pubHc affairs shall be managed on Ameri- 
 can 'principles. This was not merely their religion^ 
 it was a part of their politics ; and hence it has 
 been supposed that they formed a " union of Church 
 and State," and that in this respect, they fell into the 
 very error from the effect of which they had been 
 compelled to flee. This^ we maintain, is a mistake. 
 Groping in the twilight of the morning, they " saw 
 men as trees walking ;" they occasionally stumbled 
 upon the rocks of error. Still we maintain, that they 
 never adopted the principles fromj xohich they had 
 fled. In England the Sovereign was, and still is, 
 the head of the Churchy as truly as he is of the 
 State. Never was that true here. In England, eccle- 
 siastical culprits were turned over to the civil arm. 
 Not only was provision made for the support of the 
 institutions of religion by law, — religion itself wdi^ 3. 
 subject of legislation. Forms and ceremonies were 
 prescribed by law, and enforced by pains and penal- 
 ties of fines, imprisonments, stripes, and other bodily 
 tortures, and even death itself, however conscientious 
 an individual might be, or however peaceable as a 
 citizen. All ecclesiastical matters were regulated by 
 law, and were backed and enforced by the civil 
 power. jETere, the case was fundamentally different. 
 Provision was indeed made for the support of the in- 
 stitutions of religion, but this was done in view of the 
 public interests of the community and of the Com- 
 monwealth, — interests which all were bound to pro- 
 mote ; as bachelors are now required to support in- 
 stitutions for common school education. In England 
 
AND METHODISM. 13 j 
 
 there was no toleration of any conscience which did 
 not conform to the prescribed model. Here, as was 
 shown in the preceding chapter, those who held and 
 advocated principles essentially different from the 
 dominant party, were tolerated, while it could be done 
 with safety to existing institutions, and especially 
 with safety to the commonwealth. In England, the 
 people urged, in a petition, " that we are ready to 
 prove our church order * * * allowable by her ma- 
 jesty's laws, and no ways jirejudicial to her sove- 
 reign power. * * * We therefore humbly pray, that 
 we ma^^ have the benefit of the laws, and of the 
 public charter of the land, namely, that we may be 
 received to bail, till we be by order of law convicted 
 of some crime deserving bonds. We plight our al- 
 lcgie7ice to her Tnajesty, that we will not commit 
 any thing * * to the disturbance of the co7n?noii 
 j)eace and good order of the land.^^* When did 
 men ever suffer persecution here, who could urge a 
 plea like that? Even in the case of Roger Williams, 
 as we have shov/n, the action of the government 
 was based, mainly upon lohat loas regarded by the 
 government as the jiolitical tendency of his princi- 
 ples. This they assert; and even though Aewas rights 
 and they v^ere icrong in judgment, yet it is evident 
 that what they inflicted was not religious jwrsecu- 
 tio?i. This is proved by the farther fact, that he was 
 tolerated through a period of more than four years, 
 while actually engaged in propagating his opinions. 
 In 1665, the legislature of Connecticut declared, in a 
 public document to the king, " that all men of com- 
 
 * Neal's Hist, of the Puritans, Vol. I. p. 199. (Note,) Harper's Ed. 
 
132 CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 petent estates, and of civil conversation, though of 
 DIFFERENT JUDGMENTS, are admitted to he free- 
 7nen, and have liberty to choose^ and to he chosen 
 officers^ both military and civil; and we know 
 
 NOT OF ANY ONE THAT HATH BEEN TROUBLED, 
 BY US, FOR ATTENDING HIS CONSCIENCE, PRO- 
 VIDED HE HATH NOT DISTURBED THE PUBLIC."* 
 
 Will any one pretend that there is no difference be- 
 tween the principles here professed, and the practice 
 here asserted, and those complained of in the above 
 quotation from Neal ? Laws were enacted obliging 
 every town, comprising " fifty families, to maintain 
 a school, in Avhich reading and writing should be 
 well taught."t Why not pronounce that 'persecution 
 for education's sake 7 A part of the public domain 
 of this State has been appropriated to the support of 
 common schools. Many are in circumstances to de- 
 rive no direct benefit from the money thus taken or 
 withheld from their pockets, for the public good. 
 
 No one would now adopt this mode of sustain- 
 ing the institutions of religion, " for the public good." 
 
 As for m^^self, I would leave the support of those 
 institutions to the freest action of every conscience. 
 Still, it is evident that our fathers adopted the same 
 principles for the support of the institutions of reli- 
 gio7t, which they did for the support of those of ed- 
 ucation ; and in part, at least, if not exclusively, for 
 the same reasons. Hence, when other denomina- 
 tions were established, measures were adopted by 
 which each individual might obey the dictates of his 
 own conscience. It is not true, therefore, that there 
 ^ Trumbull's Hist, of Ct., Vol. I. pp. 287, 283. f Do. p. 303. 
 
AND METHODISM. 
 
 133 
 
 was ever " a religion of the State," in the same sense 
 in which that was true in England. One denomi- 
 nation was, indeed, provided for by law, and only 
 one ; but it was because there was, at first, no diver- 
 sity of opinion on that subject ; there was no other 
 denomination in existence upon this soil. This was 
 totally different from the state of things in England. 
 There, not only was one denomination provided for 
 by law ; all others Avere prohibited. And even now^ 
 although others are tolerated there, yet all are com 
 pelled, equally, by law, to support the religion of the 
 State. It is difficult to suppress the risings of indig- 
 nation at the insolent pratings about " Puritanisms^ 
 by those who are skulking beneath the '• poisoned 
 mantle " of a Laud. 
 
 There is another fact in connection with the his- 
 tory of legislation on the subject of religion, in this 
 country. As it was quaintly expressed by one of the 
 Puritan historians, "civil officers and the clergy were 
 like Moses and Aaron, cooperating for the attainment 
 of the same great object," — thus fulfilling, in their 
 opinion, the prophecy in our motto. Bnt it was far 
 more of a cooperation of friendship and of moral in- 
 fluence, than of authority and power. Then, much 
 more than now, magistrates regarded themselves, and 
 were regarded by the people, as '• God's ministers.^^ 
 They were expected to exert their influence in favor 
 of religion ; they were chosen for that object ; 
 in doing so, they felt that they were but carrying out 
 the modern doctrine of ^^ instruction.''^ But many 
 of their enactments, perhaps the most of them, cer- 
 tainly most of those which partook of a denomina- 
 
] 34 CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 tional character, were rather of the nature of reso- 
 lutions^ or recommendatiojiSj than of laws. Many 
 enactments of this class never were regarded, even 
 by their authors, as penal enactments ; and hence 
 they never partook of the nature of law. For ex- 
 ample : at comparatively an early period, the church 
 at Hartford was rent with divisions, the effect of 
 which was not confined to that church. The mat- 
 ter was taken up by the Assembly, and various res- 
 olutions were passed, directing the church what 
 course to pursue in the matter ; but after all, the 
 church acted its own pleasure.* No regard was paid 
 to those legislative directions, farther than the church 
 saw fit. The people never dreamed that those reso- 
 lutions were penal laios. 
 
 Of a nature similar to this was the legislative in- 
 terference which resulted in the " Saybrook Plat- 
 form." The origin of the Platform was this. The 
 churches of Connecticut had been for a long time 
 agitated with unsettled questions. Experience had 
 taught the importance of the principles of church 
 fellowship, which are suggested in the fifteenth 
 chapter of the Acts of the Apostles. The State legis- 
 lature took up the matter, in accordance with the 
 spirit of the times, and proposed to the churches, 
 or, in the language of the day, directed the churches 
 to assemble, by their pastors and delegates, and en- 
 deavor to lay a foundation for future harmony. 
 
 Accordingly, arrangements were made for such 
 a meeting, at Saybrook, in 1708. Delegates met, 
 and recommended a Confession of Faith ; a Plan of 
 
 * Trumbull's Hist. Ct. Vol. I. pp 312-328. 
 
AND METHODISM, ]35 
 
 Union for the churches and ministers ; and what is 
 called " Heads of Agreement." The Confession of 
 Faith was no new thing of their composing, for the 
 purpose of being enforced upon the churches. It 
 was the old '• Savoy Confession," which was drawn 
 up in London many years before, and had been al- 
 ready very generally adopted by the churches in this 
 country. The union of the churches and of the 
 pastors, was just that union which now exists in 
 Connecticut, in Consociations of churches, and As- 
 sociations of pastors. 
 
 The *' Heads of Agreement " were merely princi- 
 ples of union between Congregational and Presby- 
 terian churches. This was the Sayhrook Platform. 
 
 A Report was presented to the legislature by the 
 Saybrook '"Synod," which was accepted ; and it was 
 ''ordained, that the churches within this govern- 
 ment, that are, or shall be thus united, in doctrine, 
 worship and discipline, be, and for the future shall 
 be owned and acknowledged established by law ; 
 
 PROVIDED ALWAYS, THAT NOTHING HEREIN SHALL 
 BE INTENDED OR CONSTRUED TO HINDER OR PRE- 
 VENT ANY SOCIETY OR CHURCH, THAT IS OR SHALL 
 BE ALLOWED BY THE LAWS OF THIS GOVERNMENT, 
 WHO SOBERLY^ DIFFER OR DISSENT FROM THE UNI- 
 TED CHURCHES HEREBY ESTABLISHED, FROM EX 
 ERCISING WORSHIP AND DISCIPLINE, IN THEIR 
 
 OWN WAY, ACCORDING TO THEIR OWN 
 CONSCIENCES."* 
 
 Now, what is there in all this, to justify the odi- 
 um which has been heaped upon it ? Grant, if you 
 
 * Trnmbull's Hist. Ct., Vol. I. pp. 513, 514. 
 
136 CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 please, that it was inexpedient and impolitic ; and 
 even that it was an impertinent intermeddling with 
 matters of conscience ; still, there was no coercing* 
 of conscience. All such legislative action was total- 
 ly different from every thing that was ever yet seen 
 in England. 
 
 But notwithstanding all this formality of law, no 
 church felt itself compelled to adopt the Platform ; 
 
 * The " Saybrook Platform" never was designed as a " Book of 
 Discipline," in the sense in which that phrase is used by other denomi- 
 nations ; nor was it drawn up with any design to bind the consciences 
 of men, except as the truths of God's word are obligatory. It was 
 designed, indeed, to exhibit those fundamental scriptural principles 
 upon which Congregationalists are united, as being taught in the 
 Bible. But that the authors of the Platform did not intend to bind 
 the consciences of men, authoritatively, is evident from the eighth 
 Article of the Heads of Agreement, which is as follows : 
 
 "As to what appertains to soundness of judgment in matters of 
 faith, we esteem it sufficient that a church acknowledge the Scrip- 
 tures to be the word of God, the perfect and only rule of faith and 
 practice, and own either the doctrinal parts of those commonly called 
 the Articles of the Church of England, or the Confessions or Cate- 
 chisms, shorter or longer, compiled by the Assembly at Westminster, 
 or the Confession agreed on aJ the Savoy, to be agreeable to the said 
 rule." 
 
 " But the General Association of Connecticut republished it re- 
 cently." 
 
 And does that prove it to be our " Book of Discipline V Or that we 
 adopt all its phraseology ? Many ancient books are valuable, which 
 yet contain many statements that we do not regard as expressed in 
 the best terms, or even as in accordance with truth. There were 
 sufficient reasons for republishing the Saybrook Platform. It is an im- 
 portant link in the history of Congregationalism ; it constitutes a ba- 
 sis upon which Congregationalists can stand, harmoniously ; and it 
 furnishes established rules of Congregational order. But those who 
 were engaged in the undertaking, stated, explicitly, that it was not 
 published as possessing " legislative or judicial authority." 
 
AND METHODISM. 137 
 
 and none ever suffered any detriment, never brought 
 down the wrath of an offended government, for re- 
 fusing to adopt it. And this single enactment 
 should forever silence the malignant, sectarian slan- 
 derers of Connecticut, who charge our fathers with 
 adopting the very principles from which they had 
 fled. As early as 1666, resolutions were passed by 
 the legislature of Connecticut, respecting the inter- 
 nal management of the churches, which were heed- 
 ed, or disregarded by the churches with perfect inde- 
 pendence.* The legislature, in subsequent acts, 
 modified, or altered their resolutions, to meet the 
 washes of the people, and thus aimed to guide their 
 actions ; but the whole history of these matters 
 shows that many, if not most of the so-called laws 
 were rather the advice of deeply interested and influ- 
 ential //'ie/zt/^, than the authoritative enactm^ents of 
 penal laio. In England, laws were such, indeed ; 
 enacted under a monarchy in league with a hier- 
 archy. Here, they were the acts of the people, 
 through their own representatives, frequently they 
 were the mere recommendations of the servants of 
 the public to their constituents. Regarding, as they 
 did, the institutions of religion as essential to the 
 prosperity of a nation, they also regarded it as a 
 dictate of justice that all should contribute their fair 
 proportion for that object, especially as the way was 
 open for each to appropriate his proportion for the sup- 
 port of whatever /orm5 of religion he might see fit. 
 And when, at length, all enactments for the support 
 of the institutions of religion were abolished, the 
 
 * Trumbull's Hist, of Ct., Vol. I. pp. 481-486. 
 
138 CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 scale was turned by Congregational votes. Many 
 were indeed opposed to a change, not because they 
 were CongregationaUsts, but because they regarded 
 the principle as a just one, that the recipients of a 
 common benefit should aid in perpetuating it. None 
 can deny that that principle is just. The mistake, 
 for there was a mistake^ lay here ; in the attempt to 
 compel men to he equitable^ in this respect. This is 
 one of those cases in which it is, doubtless^ neither 
 right or expedient to employ compulsory measures. 
 It is manifest to the discriminating reader of history 
 that from the first settlement of New England^ 
 legislation, here, was conducted on different princi- 
 ples in respect to religion, from what it was in the 
 mother country. The advanced position, which 
 was assumed here in the outset, has been more than 
 maintained. There are those who delight in the 
 term " Episcopal, ^^ in the name of their Church or- 
 ganization, and who delight equally/, however they 
 may differ in other respects, — in casting odium upon 
 Congregational New England. They seem to for- 
 get that where Episcopacy has held the reins of 
 power, those reins have never been freely relaxed : 
 and even now it retains the very principles with 
 which they would reproach Congregationalism. In 
 England, to this very day, all must support the Es- 
 tablished Church. 
 
 But Episcopal Methodism is the last system 
 which should lift up the cry for popular rights ; — 
 that system which has not in it, or about it, even 
 the shadow of popular rights ; — that system which 
 places all ecclesiastical power within the grasp of 
 
AND METHODISM. 139 
 
 the clergy ; while Congregationalism places no 
 power, absolutely^ no poivery in their hands^ except 
 the power of moral influence. But whatever was 
 done in New England, either in civil or ecclesiasti- 
 cal matters, was done, emphatically, by the jjeoj^lCj 
 and was intended for the good of the people, and in 
 view of the great objects for which they left their 
 native land. They came here to establish their 
 own institutions ; they provided means for perpetu- 
 ating them ; they excluded none but disturbers of the 
 public peace. As other denominations came in, and 
 increased, they relaxed their system, reluctantly in- 
 deed on the part of many, still it was relaxed while 
 they ivere the dominant j^arty. 
 
 Our fathers had not learned to trust alone in the 
 inherent power of religion to sustain its own insti- 
 tutions. Hence, too great reliance was often placed 
 upon externals, to the detriment of true piety. Ac- 
 customed, as Religion was, to lean upon the civil 
 arm, she naturally looked around for other supports ; 
 and frequently she leaned upon broken reeds, which 
 inflicted upon her serious and lasting wounds. 
 
 Among the innovations upon Congregationalism 
 was the HoAf Way Covenant^ as it was called. 
 The first settlers of New England were distinguish- 
 ed in nothing more than in their deep-toned piety, 
 and their high standard of church membership ; but 
 their toils, their privations, their wars, gradually 
 cooled the ardor of their piety ; while, for a long 
 period, they remained unblest with ajiy general 
 outpouring of the Holy Spirit. In the mean time, 
 many of their children had grown up unrenewed by 
 
140 CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 that divine Agent. Among the subjects which, in the 
 course of time, agitated the churches, was the rda- 
 tion of baptized children to the churches. By de- 
 grees the principle was adopted, that parents who 
 had themselves been baptized, might on one condi- 
 tion present their children for the same sacred rite. 
 This condition was, " the owning of the covenant." 
 This principle was first adopted in Massachusetts. 
 It was not adopted in Connecticut till 1696. The 
 commencement of the practice in this state seems to 
 have been at Hartford. The covenant there was in 
 these words. '' We do solemnly, in the presence of 
 God, and of this congregation, avouch God, in Jesus 
 Christ, to be our God, one God in three persons, Fa- 
 ther, Son, and Holy Ghost, and that we are by nature 
 children of wrath, and that our hope of mercy with 
 God, is only through the righteousness of Jesus 
 Christ, apprehended by faith ; and we do freely 
 give ourselves to the Lord, to walk in communion 
 with him, in the ordinances appointed in his holy 
 Word, and to yield obedience to all his command- 
 ments, and submit to his government. And whereas, 
 to the great dishonor of God, scandal of religion, 
 and hazard of the damnation of many souls, drunk- 
 enness and uncleanness are prevailing among us, we 
 do solemnly engage, before God this day, through 
 his grace, faithfully and conscientiously to strive 
 against these evils, and the temptations leading 
 thereunto.''* 
 
 Having thus " owned the covenant," many pa- 
 rents presented their children for baptism : though 
 
 * Trumbull's Hist, of Ct. Vol. I. p. 497. 
 
AND METHODISM. . |41 
 
 they did not partake of the Lord's Supper, and were 
 not members of a church, in full communion. This 
 custom spread, by degrees, until it became quite com- 
 mon, though not uiiiversal. Parents were prompted 
 to this course by mistaken notions of the nature and 
 design of baptism, and of the Lord's Supper, and 
 from a desire to participate in privileges and respect- 
 ability which were conferred by church membership. 
 But the effect of this custom upon the piety of the 
 land was most disastrous. Men were lulled into 
 spiritual slumbers ; the power of godliness declined, 
 and in many cases, thefor?Ji was substituted for the 
 reality. 
 
 We would remark, in passing, that this erroneous 
 estimate of the nature and importance of Infant Bap- 
 tism has doubtless been a main cause of the spread 
 of the opposite error, viz., the disparagement and 
 neglect of that ordinance. But on that reasoning 
 the Lord's Supper should also be renounced ; for 
 views are entertained respecting the nature and im- 
 portance of this Sacrament, which are quite as erro- 
 neous as any that were ever entertained respecting 
 the other. 
 
 Intimately connected with this decline of piety in 
 the churches, was a similar decline in the ministry ; 
 and thus the way was opened for other errors. One 
 of these, and one of the most important, was TJnita- 
 rianisrn. The spread of this error in New England 
 has often been urged as evidence that Congregation- 
 alism^ is, in its very nature, defective, as a safe- 
 guard of the truth. 
 
 There are, really, but two other forms of church 
 7* 
 
142 CONGREGATIOiNALISM 
 
 government ; Episcopacy, and Presbyterianism. One 
 of the first ministers, (and it is believed, one of the first 
 churches,) that became Unitarian, in Massachusetts, 
 was an Episcopalian. Whoever knows any thing 
 of the Puseyism of the Episcopal Church, and of its 
 present tendency towards Rome, to say nothing of 
 this and other errors in that Church, needs nothing 
 further to satisfy him, that Episcopacy is no safe- 
 guard against error. Indeed, we shall not forget, 
 while history lasts, that Episcopacy cast up the high- 
 way over which the " Man of Sin " rode in his tri- 
 umphal car to the throne of universal dominion. 
 
 As to the conservative influence of Presbyterian- 
 ism, the history of that organization, in England, and 
 upon the Continent of Europe, shows a far worse de- 
 fection than was ever exhibited by Congregational- 
 ism, either here or elsewhere. 
 
 But on what principle can Methodism plead ad- 
 vantage, in this respect ? Will it be urged that it has 
 a " Book of Discipline," and " articles of religion," 
 which are unalterable? So have Episcopacy and 
 Presbyterianism their books of discipline and articles 
 of faith, orthodox enough, and remaining so still. So 
 had the Congregational churches and ministers, who 
 became Unitarian, their creeds. The fact is, error is 
 not excluded from churches, nor from the hearts of 
 men, by paper bulwarks. Or will any plead that 
 Methodism is safe, because it places every thing at 
 the control of the clergy? This argument has 
 been urged from the pulpit, in this place,* in re- 
 spect to the houses of worship ; and the argument is 
 equally sound in its application, universally. But 
 
 * South Norwalk, Ct. 
 
AND METHODISM. I43 
 
 what is the testimony of history, in relation to this 
 argument ? It is this : the defection, in Massachu- 
 setts, commenced among the ministers^ and was far 
 more general among them than among the people. 
 In almost all cases, if not without exception, 
 where there was found any great defection among 
 the people, the pastor was found on the wrong side, 
 and a leader in error. 
 
 And the reasons why Unitarianism has not spread 
 in Connecticut as it has in Massachusetts, are, chiefly, 
 two ; 1st, The system of Consociation ; 2dly, Episco- 
 pacy, which has operated as a safety valve, with 
 enough oiformalism to gratify the '^ natural man." 
 In Connecticut, there was no opportunity for a 
 " packed " council to smuggle in among the churches 
 a pastor who was corrupted by the leaven of Unita- 
 rianism. Every sound pastor, and every church, 
 here, were watchmen, and especially within their 
 own prescribed limits, upon the walls of Zion. But 
 in Massachusetts, if a church or a candidate for the 
 pastoral office was corrupt in doctrine, it was com- 
 paratively easy to select a council from among those 
 who were infected with the sam.e error ; and thus 
 the leaven would spread in secret till it had infected 
 the mass. And if all ecclesiastical power had been 
 committed to the clergy, the downward tendency 
 would have been more powerful, and unchecked ; 
 while there would have been no germ of spiritual 
 life remaining. But there was that germ, and it 
 was buried in the hearts of the peopte, while the 
 reins of power were still in their hands. Look at 
 facts. About thirty years ago the only orthodox 
 
144 CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 Congregational chinch remaining in Boston was 
 the Old South. That church was a soHtary star, — 
 but it was the star of the morning. Now, a beauti- 
 ful constellation is gathered around it ; and every 
 where through the Unitarian portion of the state, 
 orthodox churches are rising and multiplying, be- 
 cause there is yet piety and power in the people. 
 
 Suppose the clergy had possessed the exclusive 
 power of regulating these matters. Suppose the Gen- . 
 eral Association of Massachusetts had possessed the 
 same power with the General or Annual Conferen- 
 ces of the Methodist Episcopal Church ; stationing 
 whatever pastor they pleased over any church ; ad- 
 ministering discipline as they pleased ; with Cam- 
 bridge to train their ministers, — where would have 
 been the ho2)e of a resurrection from this spiritual 
 death ? Congregationalism did not keep out error, 
 because no system, not even the Bible, is, of itself, a 
 safeguard against it ; but it is equally true that we 
 behold this moral resurrection, because the Bible, in 
 the hands of the jjeople, is our only hope. Look 
 at the history of the Church in aiiy age. Look at 
 the times which followed the Apostles, down to the 
 time when Popery was fully established. The pro- 
 gress of the power of the clergy, is the scale of the 
 Church's corruption. The Reformation was accom- 
 plished by the people, throwing from their necks the 
 yoke of the clergy, and resuming their own rights. 
 And here we find the true scale of the Reformation. 
 What reason or scripture is there in the principle, 
 that the people are not to be trusted with the man- 
 agement of their own ecclesiastical affairs? And 
 
AND METHODISM. 145 
 
 that they are safe only as they yield up their under- 
 standings and their consciences to the guidance of 
 others — to a self-constituted and self-perpetuating 
 hierarchy — their churches, their articles of faith, their 
 disciphne, all to the safe keeping and management , 
 of the clergy ? 
 
 Suppose that Puseyism should affect the Metho- 
 dist Episcopal, as it has the so-called Protestant 
 Episcopal Church ; how would it be checked ? Not 
 by the people, except by renouncing the system ; for 
 they could have no agency in the matter. Suppose 
 the bishops to become infected with error, — how 
 many ways there are for them to operate unobserved. 
 And if the attempt were made to call them to ac- 
 count, they decide what is law ; and what does it 
 avail that others make the application of law, so 
 long as the criminal is the judge of what constitntes 
 law. The bishops might do as they did in discus- 
 sions upon the slavery question, — choke down all 
 whom they pleased, by their decisions. The appli- 
 cation of a principle is not a formidable matter, if it 
 is left with the individual concerned to decide what 
 the principle shall be. Hanging would not be a 
 formidable matter, if it were left to the culprit to 
 select the rope. Nothing is more certain than if the 
 management of things is left to any class of men, 
 exclusively, they will construct a system which will 
 work most favorably for themselves. What know- 
 ledge of his own heart does that man possess, who 
 desires such power ? And what modesty is that, 
 which suffers a man to come before the people to 
 convince them that they are not to be trusted, — and 
 
1 46 CONGREGATIONALISM ; 
 
 that their interests will be safe only as they are com- 
 mitted to himself and his brethren ? One thing they 
 can with truth assert, in the language of their spirit- 
 ual father, " We are no republicans^ and never in- 
 tend to beJ^ 
 
 One singular objection to Congregationalism is in 
 the form of the following inquiry : " If Congregation- 
 alism is the true form of Church government, why 
 has it not prevailed more extensively ?" 
 
 This is a peculiar mode of argumentation ; as 
 though numbers were a proof of truth. According 
 to that. Popery is right, and paganism, — and even 
 sin itself If it is a valid argument that Congre- 
 gationalism is wrong, because no more adopt it, 
 then the Gospel is wrong ; for it has been struggling 
 two thousand years, and yet not one-fourth of the 
 world has received it, even nominally. How few 
 have received \\. practically ! If success is the stand- 
 ard of truth, then Mohammed was a true prophet ; 
 and even Joe Smith 7nay prove to have been one.* 
 
 But we are asked, " Where has Congregation- 
 alism prevailed 7 " 
 
 * An argument is sometimes offered in favor of Methodism, by an 
 appeal to numbers, thus : 
 
 " There was, in New England, in 
 1800 one Methodist (enrolled member,' in every 211 of the whole pop- 
 
 [ulation. 
 1810 do do 131 do 
 
 1820 do do 94 do 
 
 1830 do do 56 do 
 
 1840 do do 34 do 
 
 " These ratios are obtained without including the thousands of 
 New England Methodists in the New York and Troy Conferences. 
 We have estimated the latter for 1840, at 22,000, and we are certain 
 
AND METHODISM. ]47 
 
 Ye5, where has it pj'evailed ? In New England, 
 — the land of the Bible, and of universal education, 
 — the brightest spot within the circumference of the 
 globe, — and, what is more, Congregationalism, 
 under God, made it such. Where is Congrega- 
 tionalism found 7 Here, 4n New England, nursed 
 in the " Cradle of Liberty ^^^ — herself the nurse 
 OF liberty. 
 
 But after all, is it true that Congregationalism is 
 confined to New England ? Not to speak of Eng- 
 land and Wales, where there are about 2500 Con- 
 gregational churches, there are hundreds of others 
 scattered through the State of New- York, and 
 stretching onwards beyond the Father of Waters, 
 towards the setting sun. 
 
 But there are reasons why New England Con- 
 gregationalism has spread no more rapidly. We 
 have not been faithful to our trust. We have been 
 unlike every other denomination under heaven. So 
 far from being sectarian in our spirit, we have thrown 
 away the advantages of our system, and almost our 
 denominational character. We have, literally, in 
 this matter, " sought not our own, but our neighbors' " 
 good. We were among the first to engage in Home 
 Missions ; the Connecticut Missionary Society having 
 
 that this estimate is short of the truth. Including these, our ratio for 
 1840, will be one in twenty-five." * * * 
 
 " The Methodist Membership in New England has more than 
 doubled every twelve years since 1776." 
 " Congregationalists, in 1841, 153,41.3. 
 Methodists, in 1840, 87,000. 
 
 Baptists, in 1842, 85,146." 
 
 (Tracts for the Times, No. 2.) 
 
148 CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 been formed forty-eight years ago. Massachusetts 
 has not been behind Connecticut in her sacrifices of 
 men and of means. Bat never have we gone forth 
 with our denominational standard unfurled. The 
 only device upon our escutcheon has been the 
 Cross. Other denominations have preached Christ, 
 indeed ; and the cross has been emblazoned upon 
 their standards. They have invited men to Christ, 
 hut they have expected the new recruit to put on 
 their uniform. 
 
 The Presbyterian has usually remained a Pres- 
 byterian. If he organizes a church, it is Presbyte- 
 rian. He seldom changes. More emphatically is 
 this true of the Methodist ; and his machinery is 
 admirably adapted to its object. From the bishop, 
 down to the class leader, and the humblest member, 
 all are equipped with the Book of Discipline, and 
 prepared for the " Class " and " Band." If there 
 are but two or three or four, of the right sort, they 
 may be organized and trained, w^eekly, till they 
 grow into a "Society." Thus every member of the 
 fold is preserved from straying into other pastures. 
 This spirit is especially fostered by the Book of Dis- 
 cipline. It reminds their preachers not only that they 
 are Christians and Christian ministers, but " Metho- 
 dists^ It directs them to see to it that Methodist 
 books are read, and Methodist publications circulat- 
 ed, and that Methodist " tunes are sung,"' and that 
 the people do not attend " the singing schools of other 
 denominations." In short, a rigid system of sectarian 
 discipline embraces every thing, — even to their busi- 
 ness transactions. 
 
AND METHODISM. I49 
 
 Totally different from all this is the spirit which 
 has animated Congregationalism. In missionary 
 labors we have been " more abundant," but nearly 
 all has gone to swell the ranks of others. It has been 
 calculated that more than four hundred Presbyteri- 
 an churches have been formed in the West, from 
 Connecticut inen and influence alone ;* and " high 
 Presbyterian authority " has acknowledged, that 
 more than fifteen hundred of their churches are 
 Congregational in their origin. And our liberality 
 is a subject of bitter taunt, and is turned as an argu- 
 ment against us. What if we had acted from the 
 first upon the principles which have been practised 
 by others ; and these fifteen hundred churches had 
 themselves been hives from which other Congrega- 
 tional churches had swarmed, — who could now 
 compute their number ? 
 
 But this is not all ; what efforts have we made 
 to retain possession even of our iiiheritance ? While 
 the spirit of Sectarianism has been " walking," un- 
 ceasingly, " up and doAvn " in our midst, and intrud- 
 ing even into our families ; while every influence 
 has been busily exerted in public and in private, by 
 means of harangues and lectures upon " Calvinism," 
 and." Presbyterianism," until the minds of our youth 
 have been estranged from '• the old paths," what an- 
 tidote has been employed ? The contrast between 
 the assault and the defence is exhibited in the accu- 
 
 * Mitchell. We cannot conceal an honest pride, that Congre- 
 gationalism is, and ever has been, free from the stain of sectarianism. 
 But in order to avoid one extreme, it is not necessary to run into the 
 opposite, — unfaithfulness to our principles. 
 
150 CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 sation which has been thrust in our teeth, viz. '' You 
 DARE not 'proclaim the peculiarities of your sys- 
 temP This accusation proves two things ; — our uu- 
 faithfulness to the cause of truth ; and that this 
 unfaithfulness has been construed into an argu- 
 ment against the truth. We have been gored by 
 the horn of sectarianism, — but the effect has been, 
 instead of arousing us to self-defence, and to a de- 
 fence of the truth, to drive us to the other extreme, 
 and to produce within us a morbid sensitiveness, un- 
 der the effect of which many have ceased to distin- 
 guish between '■'■ sectarianism^^^ and obedience to 
 the apostoUc injunction, " Contend earnestly for 
 the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.^^ 
 Other denominations are prepared with denomina- 
 tional books and tracts, while scarcely any thing of 
 the kind has been seen among us. Even our Sab- 
 hath School books, with a few exceptions, have been 
 carefully exviscerated of their Neio Englandis^n. 
 If the principles of Congregationalism are merely 
 those of a party, let them pass as the idle wind. 
 If they are not important, — if they are not the prin- 
 ciples of the Word of God, let them be buried in the 
 graves of our fathers. But if they are the princi- 
 ples of the Bible, — if they are the principles which 
 made New England what she is, — if they are the 
 origin and basis of civil and religious liberty, — if they 
 give tone, and energy, and efficiency, to all the doc- 
 trines of the Scriptures, — if they are the only prin- 
 ciples which render us ti^uly freemen in Christ Je- 
 gi^s, — if they have an important bearing upon the 
 prosperity of the Redeemer's kingdom, and upon our 
 
AND METHODISM. 
 
 151 
 
 own eternal hopes, shall they be lightly esteemed, 
 and even renounced, for a system of mere worldly 
 wisdom ? Does the principle, that all civil power is 
 inherent in the people, involve our dearest earthly 
 interests ? and shall we resign our eternal interests 
 to the control of others ? Shall we be told, that in 
 ecclesiastical matters, the people are not to be in- 
 trusted with the right of self-government and the 
 management of their own aifairs ? High Methodist 
 authority has, indeed, the assurance to make that 
 assertion, — no less authority than Watson, in his In- 
 stitutes. He would teach us that republican princi- 
 ples in the Church are " tolerable only in the purest 
 ages, and even then only on a limited scale." He 
 scouts the idea of committing such grave matters to 
 the " suffrages " of the people. " Is it so ; that there 
 is not a wise man among you ? no, not one that 
 shall be able to judge between his brethren ? Do ye 
 not know that the saints shall judge the world ?" 
 Will men tamely receive the " Institutes " which teach 
 principles so much to " their shame ?" Will men thus 
 tamely submit to be bound to the car of a hierarchy, 
 renouncing the liberty wherewith Christ has made 
 us free ? When the principles of our fathers are so 
 evidently derived from the Bible, — and while we are 
 reaping a golden harvest from their labors, why is it 
 that some, even among their posterity, are more 
 ready to exaggerate their faults than to honor their 
 virtues, — mere moral scavengers, searching, with 
 eagle eyes, for some spot or stain that may, per- 
 chance, have marred their characters or their actions, 
 but blind to the great principles which were their 
 
152 CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 peculiar glory ? Is this fair ? is it honest ? Is it not 
 ungrateful, and unworthy of us as men ? 
 
 We have thus passed over, in a very rapid and 
 general manner, indeed, the Origin, the Nature, and 
 the Tendency of the principles of Congregationalism. 
 Often have they been marred, — and what has not 
 been ? — by human imperiection. We would not be 
 blind to the imperfections of our fathers; we would 
 learn even from their faults. But amid all these 
 faults, which sectarianism and depravity delight to 
 collect and to hold up to the ridicule of those who 
 cannot estimate true greatness, we can trace the op- 
 eration of certain^:rec^ and unchangeable priiici pies. 
 The gold was mingled with much dross, hut it was 
 gold still. The men who dug it from its native bed, 
 and elaborated it in the furnace of affliction, we de- 
 light to honor. Grant that they were not perfect ex- 
 perimenters in the science of political chemistry; — 
 that some of their dreams were as wild as those of 
 the ancient alchy mists ; — still, it was real gold 
 which they discovered and purified from its dross. 
 
 From the time of Wickliffe downwards, there 
 has been a constant contest of principles. The mode 
 of the warfare has changed, as military tactics have 
 changed ; hut the principles which are in collision 
 have never changed. These are, the rights of the 
 people^ on the one side ; and on the other, the claims 
 of the few agaijist the many — whether those few 
 constitute a hierarchy^ or a nobility^ or both. The 
 contest still continues ; and the reason why the Pu- 
 ritans are the objects of special assault is this ; 
 
 THEY ARE THE CHAMPIONS OF HATED PRINCI- 
 
AND METHODISM. I53 
 
 PLEs. Were it not for those principles^ their ene- 
 mies would care as Kttle for the Puritans, as they do 
 for their " round heads," or for the " square caps " of 
 their persecutors. 
 
 But we must not forget that the errors with 
 which many dehght to reproach the Puritans, were 
 corrected by oar fathers them^selves. Nor should 
 we forget that the oppressive enactments which, un- 
 der the influence of the times, sometiaies marred the 
 statutes of the colonies, were not the expression of 
 the unanimous opinions of the people, nor in accord- 
 ance with the true genius of Puritanism. Conse- 
 quently, they were either soon repealed, or became a 
 dead letter. Indeed, the fathers of Neio Englajid 
 jyreseiit the spectacle of a dominant party, gradual- 
 ly, but voluntarily resigning power ; — voluntarily 
 resigning their special advantages, and admitting oth- 
 ers to equal privileges. And this was the natural 
 operation of their fundamental principle, viz., all 
 power is in the hands of the people, and they must 
 exercise it in view of their own accountability. 
 
 It is the principle which is the antagonist of this, 
 that we shall next examine ; a prmciple which trans- 
 fers important rights of the people to the hands of a 
 privileged few — constituting a real religious order 
 of nobility. 
 
VIII. 
 
 " Now THIS I SAY, THAT EVERY ONE OF YOU SAITH, ' I AM OF PaUL, 
 AND I OF ApOLLOS, AND I OF CePHAS, AND I OF ChRIST.' Ts ChRIST 
 
 DIVIDED 1 Was Pal-l crucified for you ? Or were ye baptized in 
 THE NAME OF Paul V — 1 Corinthians 1 : 12, 13. 
 
 John Wesley— Oiigin of Methodism— The United Brethren— Whitefield— Source 
 of Power in Wesley's System — His Anti-Republicanism— Progress of his Sys- 
 tem — Deed of Declaration — Organization of the Methodist Episcopal Church of 
 the United States of America — Ordination of Dr. Coke. 
 
 Even the religion of the cross has often degene- 
 rated into mere partyism ; some, under the guidance of 
 ambitious, but false teachers, departing entirely from 
 the Gospel ; while others, though retaining more or 
 less of true religion, have yet been " corrupted from 
 the simplicity that is in Christ," through an over- 
 weening confidence in the opinions and " doctrines 
 of men." 
 
 We have reviewed, briefly, the leading features 
 of Congregationalism, as they are developed in its 
 origin and its progress ; and, however the names or 
 opinions of men have appeared upon the pages of its 
 history, no man, or body of men has been permittedj 
 nor have they ever attempted^ to bind the consciences, 
 or control the conduct of others by creeds and eccle- 
 siastical laws, authoritatively enacted. We have 
 not forgotten the parting instructions which were 
 
CONGREGATIONALISM, ETC. 155 
 
 given to the first company of Puritans, as they em- 
 barked for these shores. Call no onan Master on 
 the earth, says the venerated Robinson, neither im- 
 agine that all truth has yet been disclosed to your 
 minds. Be ready to receive whatever light " the 
 Father of lights " may lift up upon you. Let his 
 WORD BE YOUR ONLY GUIDE. Noble sentimeiits ! 
 worthy of a monument Ul^e that of Bunker Hill. 
 
 These principles have constituted the theme of 
 the preceding chapters ; h^it they are only 07ie side 
 of the subject before us ; and the witness who leaves 
 half untold, even though what he utters is truth, is 
 yet 3, false witness. To omit essential testimony, is 
 to mislead. The question before us is not merely 
 whether the principles of Congregationalism are based 
 in the word of God ; strange as it may seem, there 
 is a farther inquiry, viz., Shall Methodism be sub- 
 stituted in its place 7 As this is not a question of 
 my seeking ; as it has been brought to our doors, and 
 thrust upon our churches, our families, and ourselves, 
 I shall not be turned from my purpose by the cry of 
 ^' persecution,^^ or the charge of " Sectarianism.'^ But 
 in my statements and arguments, I shall refer to a 
 system, a7id to a system only. Whenever names or 
 individuals are introduced, it will be only as an illus- 
 tration of the nature and spirit of that system. Nei- 
 ther shall I appear as a gladiator, either to exhibit 
 my own prowess, or to amuse others. These sub- 
 jects involve the highest personal responsibilities, in 
 which all are alike concerned. It will not be enough 
 in the day of judgment, that we have followed Paul 
 or Apollos. Tt will not be enough even that loe have 
 
156 CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 followed Christ, if our services have been marred 
 by doctrines and commandments of men. We may, 
 indeed, in such a case, " be saved as by fire." We 
 are not to rest satisfied, therefore, with the mere fact 
 that we have attached ourselves to a system ; we 
 must decide whether that system is of Christ, and of 
 Christ only ; or whether it is marred by human wis- 
 dom which clashes with important principles of the 
 word of God. 
 
 It is not enough, therefore, that John Wesley was 
 a great and good man ; this is freely admitted. We 
 trust he is shining as " a star in the firmament." Far 
 be it from me to pluck a gem from his crown, or to 
 dim the radiance with which he reflects the glory of 
 the Lamb. 
 
 But we may not be blind to his imperfections, 
 either intellectual or moral ; nor to the imperfections 
 of his system. Notwithstanding his greatness, he 
 had points of weakness, — of remarkable weakness. 
 This is evident from his belief in witchcraft, and kin- 
 dred delusions, long after the night had passed from 
 so great a portion of the Christian world. Few men, 
 however, have possessed, in greater perfection, the 
 qualifications requisite for acquiring an ascendency 
 over the minds of others. The reasons for this, and 
 the principles upon which he founded his system, 
 will be best perceived by a brief review of historical 
 facts. Besides, it is impossible to gain a perfect ac- 
 quaintance with the genius of Episcopal Methodism, 
 without a previous study of the spirit in which it v/as 
 conceived and brought forth. 
 
 John Wesley was the son of an Episcopal cler- 
 
AND METHODISM. I57 
 
 gymaii, and was born in 1703. His early impres- 
 sions in favor of Episcopacy, and of the national 
 church of England, were never effaced from his 
 mind. He was educated at Oxford University, where 
 he was distinguished in most departments of litera- 
 ture and science. Bat '• he was no great friend to 
 metaphysical disquisitions ; and I must own, that I 
 always thought he held metaphysical reasoning, 
 even when modestly and properly conducted, in too 
 low estimation.'"* This accounts for the inconclu- 
 
 * Whitehead's Life of Wesley, Vol. 11., p. 286. 
 
 It will be noticed that I depend, chiefly, upon Dr. Whitehead as 
 my authority respecting Wesley and his principles. My reasons will 
 appear in the following facts and remarks. 
 
 "I give all my manuscripts to Thomas Coke, Doctor Whitehead, 
 and Henry Moore, to be burnt or published, as they see good." (Ex- 
 tract from Mr. Wesley's will.) 
 
 Dr. Whitehead was selected as the Biographer. He " determined 
 to write, not only the Life of Mr. Wesley, but a history of Methodism, 
 with the utmost impartiality; to describe things as they have been, 
 and as they are, without the false coloring that the spirit of party will 
 always give to history ; but * * Mr. Wesley never met with a more 
 malignant opposition in the whole course of his labors, than I have 
 experienced for attempting to describe them." — (Author's Preface, 
 p. 11.) 
 
 At the Conference in London, in 1792, a Committee of preachers 
 reported, in part, as follows: 4. "When some of the preachers op- 
 posed Dr. Whitehead in the performance of his engagements, * * * 
 the steps they took to injure his reputation appeared to this commit- 
 tee unjustifiable, and if tolerated, would take away all security for the 
 character of every member of the Methodist Society ; the members of 
 the committee, therefore, thought it their duty to oppose such proceed- 
 ings, and to sup2)ort an injured man, who bore a public and respectable 
 character, from the violent and unjust attacks made upon him." — (p. 
 8, Advertisement.) 
 
 " This was the first written Life of the Wesleys, prepared from au- 
 
 8 
 
158 CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 siveness of much of his reasoning, for his crude and 
 confused views in theology, and for his misunder- 
 standing, and misrepresentations of many important 
 distinctions which were made by the acute and dis- 
 criminating mind of Calvin. 
 
 The name and influence of Charles Wesley are 
 intimately connected with the rise and progress of 
 Methodism. " My first year in college," he writes, " I 
 lost in diversions ; the next, I set myself to study. Dil- 
 igence led me into serious thinking. I went to the 
 weekly sacrament, and persuaded two or three young 
 students to accompany me, and to observe the method 
 of study prescribed by the statutes of the University. 
 This gained me the harmless name of Methodist. " In 
 half a year,"* his brother John, who had graduated 
 
 thentic documents, and it is the only one which has been written 
 which can rightfully claim the merit of impartiality," — (American 
 Publisher's Preface, p. 5.) * * " Considering the partial statements 
 and false colorings \n reference to important matters, which prejudiced 
 and selfish biographers and historians have embodied in nearly all the 
 books extant purporting to be the lives of Wesley, and the histories of 
 Methodism, this truthful sketch of Whitehead shines out from among 
 the mass of error, like a sparkling diamond from the unseemly rubbish 
 of its native bed." — (Ibid.) 
 
 "Dr. Whitehead's Lives of the Wesleys is still the standard work. 
 * * In no other volume can we find an equally graphic, and probably 
 truthful narrative of the rise and progress of Methodism during the 
 life of its distinguished founder. The author's familiar acquaintance 
 with the Wesleys affords the best guarantee of general accuracy in the 
 delineation of their characters, and in the record of their opinions and 
 measures. On the whole, the work is the most valuable source of in- 
 formation," &c. — (New Englander, Vol. III. p. 479.) 
 
 The Princeton Review for July, 1845, expresses a similar opinion 
 of the work, in language equally decisive. 
 
 The " opposition" of which Dr. Whitehead speaks, has not ceased. 
 Respecting its justice, or the design of its authors, we will not decide. 
 
 * Whitehead's Life of the Wesleys, Vol. I. p. 72. 
 
AND METHODISM. X 59 
 
 some time before, returned to Oxford, and became the 
 leading spirit among the rehgious young men. 
 
 In 1735 the two brothers sailed for Georgia ; and 
 on the voyage they commenced an acquaintance 
 with the Moravians, or United Brethren, from whom 
 they received impressions which exerted an import- 
 ant influence upon all their subsequent lives, both in 
 respect to doctrine and discipline. From them John 
 Wesley appears to have received the idea of love 
 feasts ; and it is from the record of his labors in 
 Georgia that we discover the origin of " Classes" 
 and " Bands." The Wesleys remained in Georgia 
 but a year or two ; and on their return to England, 
 they commenced a more active course of labors, in 
 connection with the celebrated George Whitefield, 
 who had been associated with them in their religious 
 meetings while in college. 
 
 Some seem scarcely to know that any other 
 agency was employed to arouse the public mind to 
 religion than the Wesleys. The fact is, the com- 
 mencement was, in reality, made by Whitefield, while 
 the Wesleys were in Georgia. He was the first to 
 engage in field-preaching, and was the most promi- 
 nent individual in that department of labor, and by 
 far the most eifective and popular preacher of his 
 time, if not of ayiy time. It was his fervid eloquence, 
 to a great degree, that, by the blessing of the Spirit, 
 broke up the fallow- ground, and sowed the seed 
 of the harvest which the Wesleys reaped and 
 gathered into the garner of Methodism. These 
 facts, as well as others of the same kind, appear to 
 have been overlooked in an "account" of " two young 
 
160 CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 men," and of " God's design in raising up the preach- 
 ers called Methodists in America, to reform the con- 
 tinent."* But Whitefield was a Calvinist. For a 
 while, however, they labored harmoniously together, 
 in connection with the United Brethren. It was 
 during this period, and at the advice of Peter Bohler, 
 the leading individual among the United Brethren, 
 that the system of classes and bands was in a great 
 measure matured ; in which " the old Methodists 
 and the Moravians were indiscriminately blended in 
 one body ; "t but the Moravians not keeping pace 
 with Mr. Wesley, particularly in his doctrinal opin- 
 ions, he withdrew from them. About this time Mr. 
 Wesley published a sermon on the doctrine of elec- 
 tion, that drew from W^hitefield a letter of decided, 
 but fraternal expostulation ; in which he expresses 
 his most earnest desire that they may still be per- 
 mitted to co-operate in a common and all-important 
 cause, — regretting that a firebrand had thus been 
 thrown in between them, and saying that, as the 
 sermon was scattered abroad assailing and misrepre- 
 senting important truth, he was laid under the neces- 
 sity of preaching in vindication of that truth. A 
 superficial reader might overlook this point in the 
 history of Methodism ; but it discovers an element 
 which seems inherent in the very nature of the sys- 
 tem. 
 
 Another fact worthy of notice in this connection, 
 is the nature of the opposition which was called 
 forth by field-preaching, and similar efforts. The 
 
 * Meth. Book of Discipline, pp. 3, 4. 
 
 t Whitehead's Life of Wesley, Vol. IL p. 48. 
 
AND METHODISM. 161 
 
 idea is commonly conveyed, from certain quarters, 
 that t' is opposition was aimed at Methodism ; and 
 the odium thus excited has been appHed indiscrimi- 
 natel}^ But there could have been no "persecution" 
 of those men, as '' Methodists,'^ for the plain reason 
 that the denomination was not then organized. 
 Those scenes of violence were just the exhibitions 
 which depravity has always been accustomed to 
 make, tchatever might be the causes which excited 
 its malignity. The men who were guilty of those 
 disturbances were men of a particular character, and 
 not of a particular sect or party. Whitefield, who 
 was a Calvinist, received his full share of opposition ; 
 and the attempt to create sectarian capital, on the 
 one hand, or t) excite odium on the other, from such 
 materials rs these, is strikingly in keeping with 
 management, of which we have already seen too 
 much. 
 
 In studying the nature of the Methodist system, 
 one thing is important to be understood and remem- 
 bered, viz., that in its progress, and in its present form, 
 it is eyitirely a creature of circumstances ; though 
 moulded and modified by the views and feelings of 
 its distinguished founder. The founders of other 
 sects usually claim to have been guided by Scriptural 
 precepts and examples. The architect of Methodism 
 was guided simply by expediency ; rearing, at first, 
 an edifice sufficient for present purposes, and then 
 adding a '• wing,"' or a '■ lean-to."' or another "story" 
 from time to time, as circumstances required, — hav- 
 ing an eye, however, to such a communication of all 
 its parts as to enable him to exercise the most perfect 
 
162 CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 supervision. Other denominations, usually, clai7n to 
 trace the peculiarities of their systems to the Scrip- 
 tures. The advocates of this system plead " experi- 
 ence" in support of its peculiarities, together with cer- 
 tain analogies and arguments from the Bible, which 
 appear to us as simply " afterthoughts,^^ 
 
 The nature and spirit of the system cannot be bet- 
 ter exhibited than in the language of Mr. Wesley. 
 
 " (Question 19. What power is this which you" 
 (Mr. Wesley) " exercise over both the preachers and 
 societies?" 
 
 " Answer. In Nov. 1738, two or three persons 
 who desired to flee from the wrath to €ome, and then 
 a few more, came to me in London, and desired me 
 to advise and pray with them. I said, if you will 
 meet me on Thursday night, I will help you as 
 well as I can. More and more then desired to meet 
 with them, till they were increased to many hun- 
 dreds. The same was afterwards true at Bristol, 
 and many other parts of England, Ireland and Scot- 
 land. Here commenced my power ; namely, a pow- 
 er to appoint when, and where, and how they should 
 meet ; and to remove those who showed that they 
 had not a desire to flee from the wrath to come. 
 And this power remained the same, whether the peo- 
 ple meeting together were twelve, twelve hundred, 
 or twelve thousand."* But this multiplication of 
 numbers created a necessity for a division, and sub- 
 divisions ; and these created a necessity for assist- 
 ants. Here we have the origin of " classes," and of 
 class leaders, though this part of the system appears 
 
 » See Whitehead's Life of Wesley, Vol. II. pp. 198-200. 
 
AND METHODISM. 163 
 
 to have arisen in connection with the Moravians. 
 This increase of numbers rendered appropriate build- 
 ings necessary, and this required funds, and another 
 sort of " assistants" to aid in managing them. Hence 
 Mr. Wesley adds : 
 
 2. " Afterwards I desired one or two more to as- 
 sist me as stewards, and in process of time a greater 
 number. Let it be remembered that it was I myself 
 not the i^feople, who chose these stew^ards, and ap- 
 pointed to each the distinct work wherein he was to 
 help me, as long as I desired. And herein I began 
 to exercise another sort of power, namely, that of 
 appointing and removing stewards." It was proba- 
 bly under the influence of these feehngs that he re- 
 cords the declaration, "I am no republican, and 
 never intend to be. While I live, the people shall have 
 no voice in choosing either stewards or class leaders." 
 *' He being dead^ yet speaketh."* What sort of 
 
 * The spirit of anti-republicanism which conceived the system of 
 Episcopal Methodism, which moulded its form, and breathed into it the 
 breath of life, and which animates it still, is strikingly exhibited in 
 Southey"s Life of its founder. Our limits compel us to condense 
 more than we desire. 
 
 In respect to the Revolutionary contest, Mr. Wesley argued 
 against the principle, that representation must accompany the right 
 of taxation ; — he argued that the people had a right to nothing but 
 PROTECTION from the government to which they owed obedience ; that 
 the Tea-tax was legal and reasonable, (p. 306 ;) that the war of 
 THE Revolution is to he traced to the Puritan origin of the colo- 
 nies, (p. 308.) Fletcher thought that republicanism is equivalent to 
 ANARCHY, (p. 309 ;) and Wesley, that the greater the share of the 
 people in the government, the less was there of liberty, both civil and 
 religious, (p. 312.) The greatest degt-ee of liberty is enjoyed under 
 a limited monarchy ; less under an aristocracy, and least of all under 
 a democracy, (p. 312.) His opposition to the American Revolution 
 
164 CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 republicans are they, who snh7nit to such arrogant 
 dictation, in levying contributions upon them, and 
 then denying their right even to a voice in the man- 
 agement of their own money? 
 
 3. " iifier a time a young man came, and desired 
 to help me, as a son in the Gospel ; soon after a 
 second, and then a third. These severally desired 
 to serve me as sons, and to labor when and where 
 I should direct. Observe : these likewise desired 
 me, not I them, — but I durst not refuse their assist- 
 ance. And here commie need my power to appoint 
 each of these when, and where, and how to labor; 
 i. e. wdrile he chose to continue with me. For each 
 had a power to go away when he pleased, as I had 
 to go away from them, or any of them, if I saw a 
 sufficient cause. The case contiiuied the sam ■ 
 when the number of preachers increased. I had 
 just the same power, still, to appoint when, and 
 where, and how each should help me, and to tell 
 any, (if I saw cause.) ' I do not desire your help any 
 longer.' On these terms, and no other, we joined at 
 first, and on these terms we continue joined." 
 
 was " earnest." It was " pleading the cause o^ my king and country, 
 yea, of enery country where there is any regular government." It was 
 "pleading against those principles that naturally tend to anarchy 
 and confusion," (p. 313 ;) and with these views he "earnestly endea- 
 vored to enlist his followers in this country against the American 
 cause, and in favor of his Jcivg." (We have already alluded to 
 a pamphlet written by him for this object.) In a letter dated 1782, 
 he says, " Two or three years ago, when the kingdom was in great 
 danger, I made an offePv to the governmt.nt, of raising men," &c. 
 This, it will be noticed, was in the midst of the Revolutionary strug- 
 
AND METHODISM. 165 
 
 This is the origin of that prominent and boasted 
 feature of Episcopal Methodism, the Itinerancy. 
 The power here claimed and exercised, still exists in 
 its full force, being transferred unimpaired from the 
 hands of Mr. Wesley to the bishops. It is their ab- 
 solute right " to fix the appointments of preachers, 
 provided they do not allow any preacher to remain 
 in the same station more than two years successive- 
 ly ; and, in the interval of the conferences, to change, 
 receive, and suspend preachers, as necessity may 
 require, and as the Discipline directs." Neither the 
 wishes of preacher or people are regarded, further 
 than accords with the pleasure of the bishop, or 
 with his ideas of " necessity." This, we shall have 
 occasion to notice, is the sum total of Christian lib- 
 erty, according to Methodism, — the liberty of sub- 
 mitting to arbitrary dictation ; or of renouncing the 
 system when you became weary of the yoke. 
 
 4. " In 1744, I wrote to several clergymen, and 
 to all who then served me as sons in the Gospel, de- 
 siring them to meet me in London, and to give me 
 their advice concerning the best method of carrying 
 on the work of God. And when their number in- 
 creased, so that it was not convenient to invite them 
 all, for several years I wrote to those with whom I 
 desired to confer ; and they only met me, at London, 
 or elsewhere ;— till at length I gave a general j^ei^- 
 missioUj which I afterwards saw cause to retract." 
 
 Here, again, we have exhibited the true genius 
 of the system. Never were "sons" held more per- 
 fectly in " leading strings." They are " permitted" 
 to come, or commanded to stay away ; and no one 
 8* 
 
166 CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 lisps, except at his spiritual " father's" nod. " Ob- 
 serve," he continues, " 1 myself sent for these of my 
 own free choice ; and I sent for them to advise^ not to 
 govern me. Neuher did I at any time divest myself 
 of any part of the power above described." 
 
 5. "What is that power?" 
 
 " It is the power of admitting into, or excluding 
 from the societies under my care ; of choosing and 
 removing stewards ; of receivizig or not receiving 
 helpers ; of appointing them wheji and where and 
 how to help me ; — and of desiring any of them to 
 confer with me when I saw good." That is, every 
 part of the system, even to church membership, was 
 under his absolute control. With the exception 
 that this "power" is transferred from Mr. Wesley 
 as supreme head, to the clergy, the system, in all 
 these points, remains virtually unchanged. 
 
 6. " Bat it is objected, several gentlemen are of- 
 fended at your having so much power." After dis- 
 claiming any search after, or desire for that power, he 
 adds : " If you can tell me any one, or any five men 
 to whom I can transfer this burden, who can and 
 will do just what I do now, I will heartily thank 
 both them and you." Here we are furnished with 
 another demonstration not only of the nature of the 
 system, but of the man who moulded it. We will 
 not question his conscientiousness ; but the man 
 who has '' power " thrown into his hands, is no more 
 to be expected to resign it, than the man of wealth 
 is expected to resign his gold. John Jacob Astor 
 may feel the burden of his twenty-five millions ; but 
 it would require more grace than even John Wesley 
 
AND METHODISM. ]67 
 
 possessed, to prepare him to admit that he is not the 
 man to manage it, or that Providence has not im- 
 posed that duty upon him. Above ail would it be 
 difficult to persuade any man to relieve himself of 
 the " burden," either of wealth or " power," who re- 
 gards himself as more capable than " any five men," 
 though it is not every man who will avow " the con- 
 ceit" that he is "wiser than seven men who can 
 render a reason." Was this the natural disposition 
 of the man ? or was it in part the blinding effect of 
 power ? That it is the common effect of the system 
 on weaker minds, is abundantly manifest. In the 
 case of AVesley there could have been nothing to 
 modify the effect upon his mind, of this exercise of 
 arbitrary power; for he was only obeying, as he 
 believed, the dictates of conscience and the call of 
 God. He must literally have believed himself " pre- 
 destinated" to this "high calling." No king on his 
 throne ever reigned with more absolute sway. The 
 arbitrary principles to which we have alluded, gave 
 character to the entire system, from the foundation 
 to the topmost stone. While reading of the organi- 
 zation, and the proceedings of his conferences, one 
 is reminded of a general in his tent, surrounded by 
 his officers in a council of war. They are called 
 upon to give their opinion, indeed, — but the final de- 
 cision as truly belongs to the commander-in-chief, as 
 does his sword. The spirit of the system is condens- 
 ed into one brief sentence in the Book of Discipline, 
 transcribed from his memoirs, " Do ?iot mend our 
 Joules, hit keep them ;''* and it is a specific ground of 
 
 * Book of Discipline, p. 39. 
 
163 CONGREGATIONALISM. 
 
 discipline for a member to exercise an influence that 
 may produce dissatisfaction with the system * 
 
 It was remarked that the system of Methodism 
 was a creature of circumstances, shaped by a master 
 spirit according to the exigencies of the times. Mr. 
 Wesley was a strong Episcopalian ; was ardently 
 attached to the Church of England, and lived and 
 died a regular clerical member of it. He never de- 
 signed to lead others from it. Up to the last years of 
 his life, he labored and preached, and wrote against 
 all separation. " He has declared again and again, 
 in the most express terms, that the design was not to 
 form a new party in the nation ; not to form the so- 
 cieties into independent churches, or to draw away 
 those who became Methodists, from their former re- 
 Hgious connections. The only intention was, to 
 rouse ail parties, the members of the church in par- 
 ticular, to a holy jealousy, and spirit of emulation, 
 and to assist them as far as possible in promoting 
 Christian experience, and practical religion through 
 the land. The times of preachiiig and of other meet- 
 ings were so ordered as not to interfere with the 
 times of public worship in the church, or among the 
 dissenters."t These sentiments Mr. Wesley repeats, 
 in terms still more emphatic, if possible, so late as 
 1789. Whitehead says, " The very nature and de- 
 sign of a Methodist society differ essentially from the 
 definitions hitherto given of a church."! 
 
 But Mr. Wesley could not always continue ; and 
 
 * ro)k of Dis. pp. 95, 9n. 
 
 t V^hitehead's life of Wesley, vol. II. pp. 206-209. 
 
 t Vol.II p. 101. 
 
AND METHODISM. 169 
 
 in the last years of his advanced life he lost much of 
 that decision by which he had been able to control 
 those under him. " He now saw the religious socie- 
 ties which he had been the happy instrument of form- 
 ing, spread rapidly on every side, and the preachers 
 increasiiig in almost an equal proportion. He be- 
 came, therefore, every day more and more solicitous 
 to provide for their unity and permanence after his 
 decease, wishing to preserve, at the same time, the 
 original doctrines and economy of the Methodists. 
 He knew the views, the opinions, and the jealousies 
 of the preachers concerning each other, better than 
 any oilier individual could possibly know them, as 
 lie had persons in all places, who constantly inform- 
 ed him of every thing of importance that was said 
 or done. From the beginning he had stood at the 
 head of the connection ; and, by the general suffrage, 
 had acted as dictator, in matters pertaining to the 
 government of the societies. He had often found 
 that all his authority was barely sufficient to preserve 
 peace, and the mere external appearance of unanim- 
 ity ; and therefore concluded, that if his authority 
 were to cease, or not to be transferred to another at 
 his death, the preachers and people would fall into 
 confusion."* In a letter on this subject, Mr. Wesley 
 says, " It is not good that the supreme power should 
 he lodged in many hands f^ (we must remember 
 " he was no republican ;") '• let there he one chief 
 governor^^ 
 
 }3ut there were those among the preachers, who 
 
 * Whitehead's Life of Wesley, Vol. II. p. 217. 
 f Whitehead, Vol. II. p. 218. 
 
170 CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 were disposed to urge certain rights of the conference. 
 " Mr. Wesley, at first, resisted this encroachment on 
 his power with great firmness." ''I read to the soci- 
 ety," says he, " a paper which I wrote nearly twen- 
 ty years ago, on a like occasion. Herein I observed 
 that the rnles of our preachers were fixed by me, 
 before any conference existed, particularly the 12th, 
 viz. ^ Above all, you are to preach whe?i and where 
 I appoint. I permitted them to join me on these 
 conditions. Whoever, therefore, violates these con- 
 ditions, particularly of being directed by me in the 
 work, does, by that act, disjoin himself from me.' "* 
 When some of the preachers ventured to intimate 
 that they had a right to some voice respecting the 
 duties of their stewardship, Mr. Wesle^r replies : " So 
 they have. They have a right to disjoin themselves 
 from me, whenever they please. But they cannot, 
 in the nature of the thing," (i. e. in the nature of 
 Methodism,) "join with me any longer than they 
 are directed by me." 
 
 We need not dwell longer upon this part of the 
 subject, in order to understand the system of Method- 
 ism zn its hearmg upon j?opular rights — the rights of 
 the people. It is a system luhich neither possesses 
 or admits any such element. Its grand aim is the 
 most perfect condensation of uncontrolled power. 
 " Obey or departj^ was the brief sentence which 
 settled all differences. 
 
 But the sceptre was at length to fall from the 
 trembling hand of Mr. Wesley, without his being 
 able to declare a successor. He had prepared a 
 
 * Whitehead's Life of Wesley, pp. 231, 232. 
 
AND METHODISM. 171 
 
 paper for that object, but he could not induce the 
 preachers to sign it. Obey him they must, while he 
 lived, or be excluded from the ranks of Methodism ; 
 but he could not induce them to sign away their lib- 
 erties after his decease. 
 
 Another plan was therefore devised, which his 
 biographer. Whitehead, thinks could never have orig- 
 inated with Mr. Wesley. By this plan, all legislative 
 and executive power was vested in the Conference. 
 The year 1784, seven years previous to the termina- 
 tion of Mr. Wesley's advanced life, marks an era in the 
 history of Methodism, in which twoimporlantchanges 
 occurred. These respected " the Deed of Declara- 
 tion,^^ so called, and Ordination. The Deed of De- 
 claration is entitled, "The Rev. John Wesley's De- 
 claration and Establishment of the Conference of the 
 people called Methodists." This " Deed" is the key 
 to another peculiarity of the system, viz. the tenure 
 by which the church property is held. It says '' that 
 whereas divers buildings called chapels, with a mes- 
 suage and dwelling-house, situate in various parts 
 of Great Britain, have been given and conveyed from 
 time to time, by the said John Wesley, to certain 
 persons and their heirs, — upon trust, that the trustees 
 for the time being, to be elected as in the said deed 
 is appointed, should permit the said John Wesley, 
 and such other persons as he should for that pur- 
 pose nominate and appoint, to have and enjoy the 
 free use and benefit of the said premises, therein to 
 preach and expound God's Holy Word." After as- 
 sociating Charles Wesley with his brother John, the 
 deed proceeds : " After the decease of the survivor 
 
172 CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 of these brothers, then, upon farther trust, that the 
 said trustees, &c. should permit such persons, and 
 for such time and times as should be appointed by 
 the yearly Conference of the people called Methodists, 
 and no others, to have and enjoy the said premises, 
 for the purposes aforesaid." As an explanation of 
 the phrase, " the Conference of the people called 
 Methodists," it is added, " The said John Wesley 
 doth hereby declare, that the Conference of the peo- 
 ple called Methodists, ever since there hath been any 
 yearly Conference of the people called Methodists, 
 hath always heretofore consisted of the preachers in 
 connection with and under the care of the said John 
 Wesley, whom he hath thought it expedient to sum- 
 mon to meet him." Then follow the names of one 
 hundred preachers who constituted the Conference 
 at the date of the deed ; and then the deed proceeds : 
 '•' Those persons and their successors for ever, to be 
 chosen as herein after mentioned, are, and for ever 
 shall be construed, taken, and be the Conference of 
 the people called Methodists."* The manner of the 
 choice is, essentially, as now stated in the Book of 
 Discipline. 
 
 Upon this deed the biographer remarks: "The first 
 thing that strikes me is, the title itself. 'A Declara- 
 tion and Establishment of the Conference of the peo- 
 ple called Methodists !' This, surely, is a most incon- 
 gruous title. It is well known that the people called 
 Methodists never held a Conference since Methodism 
 existed. The Conference is an assembly of itiner- 
 ant preachers only ; and its members are not as- 
 
 * Whitehead's Life of Wesley, Vol. IL pp. 248-250. 
 
AND METHODISM. I73 
 
 sembled by any athority derived from the people. 
 When sitting, it exercises powers which are neither 
 derived from the people^ nor under any control by 
 them. It makes regulations, or laws, not only for 
 the itinerant preachers, but for all ranks and orders 
 of persons in the societies ; and while these things 
 are transacted, neither local preachers, trustees of 
 chapals, stewards, leaders, or any of the people^ have 
 a single voice or a single representation in the as- 
 sembly. The people have no rheck, no balance of 
 power, against any regulation or law which the 
 Conference may choose to decree. It is difficult, 
 therefore, to conceive why this assembly is called 
 the Conference of the people called Methodists^ un- 
 less it was to give the people a hint that they ought 
 to have some representatives in an assembly where 
 laws are made by which they, as Methodists, are to 
 be governed."* 
 
 This Deed was the organic laiu of Methodism, 
 in respect to the organization and powers of the Con- 
 ferences both Annual and General, and in respect, 
 also, to the control of the church property. 
 
 On the latter point, it is the precise model of the 
 '^ Deed of Settlement" in the present Book of Disci- 
 pline ; though additional guards have been thrown 
 from time to time around this buttress of the system. 
 
 Hitherto, Mr. Wesley had never assumed for the 
 people under his care, nor had they assumed for 
 themselves, the title of Church. On the contrary, 
 he carefully refrained from every act that would 
 imply a separation from the Church of England. 
 
 * Whitehead's Life of Wesley, pp. 253,254. 
 
174 CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 But under the influence of others he at length, in 
 the eighty-second year of his age, proceeded to per- 
 form what has heen called ordination. It was at 
 first performed upon those who were to ofiiciate in 
 this country. There were already those here who 
 exercised the office of " elder," but it was conceived 
 to be necessary that some individual should be in- 
 vested with the office of "bishop." Dr. Coke was 
 the most prominent aspirant for that title, and he 
 made special and direct application to Mr. Wesley 
 for ordination at his hands. He says, among other 
 things, " I may want all the influence in America 
 which you can throw into my scale. I think you 
 have tried me too often to doubt whether I will, in 
 any degree, use the power you are pleased to invest 
 me with, farther than I believe absolutely necessary 
 for the prosperity of the work."* 
 
 I have italicized a few words, to call attention to 
 the fact that it is power which is placed in the hands 
 of these men ; and that it is power to be exercised 
 according to their views of necessity. The existence 
 of rights on the part of the people, is an idea that 
 seems never to have entered their minds. This is 
 evident from the manner in which this ordination 
 was performed. It was performed in secret, in the 
 chamber of a private dwelling. Both the fact and 
 the manner of it, excited strong feelings in the Meth- 
 odist connection. An old preacher, in writing to a 
 friend says, " It is neither Episcopal, nor Presbyteri- 
 an, but a hodge-podge of inconsistencies."! Mr. 
 
 * Whitehead's Life of Wesley, Vol. II. p. 255. 
 t Ibid. p. 258. 
 
AND METHODISM. I75 
 
 Wesley, in justification of that act, plead the exam- 
 ple of the primitive churches, and of modern Presby- 
 terians. But it was replied, that there is a funda- 
 mental difference between his act, and the ordina- 
 tion of elders in those churches. They supposed 
 that the people had something to do in the matter. 
 Mr. Wesley refers us to the example of the ancient 
 Church at Alexandria. But the doctrine of that 
 Church, on this point, was, that the ordination of an 
 individual over a particular people, in order to be just 
 and lawful, must be approved by " the suffrage of the 
 people ;" a very different thing from Mr. Wesley's 
 secret chamber ordination of Dr. Coke, by which he 
 was endowed with the absolute power of a Metho- 
 dist bishop. Clemens Romanus testifies that " the 
 custom was, to ordain with the consent of the whole 
 church."* But what have the people to do, under 
 the system of Methodism? " In direct opposition to 
 the practice of the primitive churches, at the ordina- 
 tions among the Methodists, the people were not as- 
 sembled, they were not consulted, nor so much as 
 even acquainted that ministers were to be ordained 
 as their proper pastors. The whole was performed 
 by an arbitrary power, in the exercise of which no 
 regard was had to the rights of the people, as having 
 either judgment or choice in the matter. But Dr. 
 Coke tells us ' they have the same qualifications for 
 an Episcopal Church, that the Church at Alexan- 
 dria possessed ; bishops having been elected or re- 
 ceived by the suffrage of the whole body of our 
 
 * For the above quotations from Lord King and others, see White- 
 head's Life of Wesley, Vol. IL p. 263, (Note.) 
 
176 CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 ministry tii rough the continent, assembled in^leneral 
 Conference.' " '•' Elected or received !"' Do these words 
 mean the same thing? The Methodist societies 
 " receive'^ their preacher from the hands of the bish- 
 op : — is that the same as " electing'' him ? " Elect- 
 ed or received by the suffrage of the whole body of 
 our ministry /" Is that an election by " thejieople ?" 
 " ' Elected or received !' When a writer thus links 
 wcrdsto ^( ther as thou h the meaning amounted to 
 the same thing, we have just cause to suspect that 
 he intends to deceive us, and lead us into false no- 
 tions of the subject he is discussing. Received per- 
 haps they may be, under a sy stein of arhitrary 
 government which leaves no alternative to the peo- 
 ple^ nor to many of the preachers, hut that of pas- 
 sive obedience^ or to go about their own business, 
 and quit the connection. It is indeed manifest, that 
 this whole affair, from first to last, bears no resem- 
 blance to the mode of electing and ordaining minis- 
 ters in the purer ages of the primitive church."* 
 
 This, let it be remembered, is the language of the 
 biographer chosen by Mr. Wesley himself; and it is 
 the language of an honest, independent man, who is 
 writing in view of the actual workings of the sys- 
 tem, and in view of his accountability for the influ- 
 ence of his work upon the world. 
 
 Charles Wesley AA^as warmly opposed to these 
 ordinations by his brother, constituting, as they did, 
 in fact, a new sect. He says, •' I scarcely yet believe 
 that my brother, in his eighty-second year, should 
 have assumed the episcopal character, and conse- 
 
 * Dr. Whitehead's Life of Wesley, Vol. II. p. 264. 
 
AND METHODISM. I77 
 
 crated a bishop," &c. " I was then in Bristol, at his 
 elbow, yet he never gave me the least hint of his in- 
 tention." 
 
 '• What are you frightened at?" John inquires. 
 
 " At Dr. Coke's rashness," replies Charles, " and 
 at your supporting him in his ambitious pursuits; — 
 at an approaching schism, as causeless and unpro- 
 voked as the American rebellion."* " It was a^e" 
 that performed that act, " not he.'* 
 
 " So easily are bishops made, 
 By man, or woman's whim ; 
 Wesley his hands on Coke hath laid. 
 But who laid hands on him ]"t 
 
 But we must pause. Having discovered the es- 
 sential characteristics of the spirit which was origi- 
 nally breathed into the system of Episcopal Method- 
 ism, our next object will be to show that the same 
 spirit animates it still. Whatever may be said of 
 tlie talents, or the piety of Mr. Wesley, — and we 
 ^ have no disposition to call either in question, — still, 
 that system is marred, and must for ever remain 
 marred, by arbitrary power, on the part of the clergy, 
 and by debasing submission on the part of the peo- 
 ple. It was once a monarchy ; it is now an aristoc- 
 racy, the few usurping the rights oi the many. 
 
 * Charles, it seems, was as little of a republican as his brother, 
 t Whitehead's Life of V/esley, Vol. II. pp. 268, 269. 
 
IX. 
 
 He that is first in his own cause seemeth just ; but his neigh- 
 bour COMETH AND searcheth HIM." Prov. 18 : 17. 
 
 Episcopal Methodist Theory of Church Government—" Tracts for the Times" — 
 Episcopal Methodism an Aristocracy — " Divine Rights" of the Clergy — Rev. 
 Dr. Bascom — Declaration of Rights — " A Cloud of Witnesses" — Secessions. 
 
 However confident men may be of the correct- 
 ness of their own denominational pecuharities, and 
 however grateful they may feel for the privileges 
 which those peculiarities are supposed to confer, it 
 is seldom, indeed, that we hear one " thank God," in 
 public, that he is an EpiscopaUan, a Presbyterian, or 
 a Congregationalist. This spirit of confident boast- 
 ing appears to be a characteristic of Methodism. 
 
 It may seem invidious to disturb this feeling of 
 self-complacency ; and we would not, if its obtrusive- 
 ness did not force itself upon us. 
 
 " The enlarged liberty of Episcopal Methodism !" 
 There is, to a superficial observer, the appearance 
 of liberty ; and there is, in reality^ great laxness of 
 restraint in many important respects, as might be 
 expected where all power and public responsibility 
 are taken from the many^ and conferred upon the 
 few. 
 
 The preceding chapter exhibited the rise and 
 progress of Methodism under Wesley. We saw 
 
CONGREGATIONALISM, ETC. I79 
 
 that every thing, from the highest to the lowest, 
 was under his absokite control ; that preachers, 
 stewards, and class-leaders were merely his agents, 
 receiving their appointments at his hands, and hold- 
 ing them solely at his pleasure ; and that Conferences 
 were merely the bringing of satellites to revolve 
 around him as their common centre, in contracted 
 orbits. No rule was adopted, no law was enacted, 
 except as decreed or sanctioned by him. And this 
 .was his theory of church government. The people 
 were excluded, by system^ from any participation in 
 the management of church affairs. Their duties 
 and responsibilities, in reference to these matters, 
 were comprised in one word, obedience. 
 
 Many seem scarcely aware that such principles 
 of church government as Wesley adopted, ever had 
 an existence ; or, if they ever did exist, they are 
 supposed to have passed away with the shadows of 
 the dark ages ; — or, that time, and the influences of 
 our republican institutions — to say nothing of the 
 eftect of scriptural precepts and examples — have 
 gradually modified and changed the original spirit 
 of the system, in these respects, till it accords, some- 
 what nearly, with our civil institutions, and with the 
 model of the primitive churches. Few, even of the 
 members of the Methodist Church, understand the 
 nature of that system ; that it is the theory^ the 
 
 VERY BASIS OF THE SYSTEM, that THE PEOPLE 
 
 possess no rights in the management of church 
 affairs. 
 
 Wesley's plan, as we have seen, was, to appoint a 
 successor, after the example of his favorite system 
 
180 CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 of civil government, a monarchy. But this point he 
 could not carry. The true old Saxon spirit, though 
 depressed, was not annihilated. 
 
 In Thibet, when the Grand Lama dies, his spirit 
 is supposed to enter the body of soms infant, and 
 it is the business of the priests to discover the partic- 
 ular individual. In like manner, it is our next duty 
 to discover the body which has been entered by the 
 spirit of the departed Wesley. We shall find that 
 the spirit which coi. trolled the Methodist connection 
 with absolute sway, instead of " waxing old and 
 vanishing away," with his decaying energies, has 
 sprung into new life, " like the phoenix from its 
 ashes." 
 
 To exhibit the proof of this is the object of this 
 chapter. My proof, and the only proof which I shall 
 exhibit, will be taken from their own standard works, 
 or furnished by their own men, some of whom still 
 adhere to the system ; while others have been driven 
 from it, by its own operation. 
 
 My first authority will be, " Tract for the Times ^ 
 No. IIP jmhlished at Zio7i^s Herald Office : and en- 
 titled, " Government of the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church:'' But the chief weight of authority, pos- 
 sessed by this tract, lies in the fact that it was sold at 
 the Methodist Book Concern in New York, in 1845 ; 
 thus receiving, in fact, the sanction of the General 
 Conference, which is the liighest authority of Meth- 
 odism itself.* I desire that these facts may be re- 
 
 * This is not saying, that every thing which is sold at the Book 
 Concern, is to be regarded, /ro7n that fact, 2iS receiving the sanction of 
 the General Conference ; but, that such a work, compiled from such 
 
AND METHODISM. IQi 
 
 membered when we are told, as we doubtless shall 
 be told, that these authorities are merely the opin- 
 ions and arguments of irresponsible individuals. 
 
 The starting point in the Tract is the query, 
 " whether the Government of the Methodist Episco- 
 pal Church should be modelled after the reipresenta- 
 tive syste^n of the nation.^^ " Let it be distinctly 
 understood in the outset, that the question is not 
 whether the laity should have a due control op 
 THE government of the church — we shall show in 
 the sequel that in the M. E. Church they have this 
 abundantly* — but whether this control shall be put 
 in the representative form of our civil system." 
 (p. 3.) Our author declines " discussing here the 
 abstract right of individuals to such a claim, in a 
 compact which they voluntarily entered, and can 
 voluntarily leave, and which stijndated no such ar- 
 rangement lohen they entered itJ^ (p. 3.) We have 
 it, thus, distinctly admitted, — whatever may be 
 said of the " abstract rights" of the people to some 
 such voice in ecclesiastical matters as they possess 
 in civil, — it is here distinctly admitted in the outset, 
 that Episcopal Methodis?n tolerates no such princi- 
 ple. It is distinctly asserted, that whoever enters 
 the Methodist Episcopal Church, enters " a compact" 
 which " stipulates no arrangement" by which the 
 people can utter their voice as freemen in Christ 
 Jesus. " But," says some simple-hearted republi- 
 
 authorities, and thus, in reality, adopted through the medium of special 
 agents, is justly regarded in the above light. 
 
 * " We shall" see, " in the sequel," what, according to Episocopal 
 Methodism, constitutes " an abundant control of the Government of 
 the Church" by " the laity." 
 
 9 
 
183 CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 can, who is not initiated into the mysteries of the 
 systenij " if Methodism does not ' stipulate for an 
 arrangement' which recognizes the rights of the 
 people, sm'ely it was not designed to exclude them 
 from those rights, and even to deny the existence of 
 any such rights." Let Dr. Bond* reply : " Whoever 
 enters the communion of our church is entitled to 
 all the immunities which the articles of association" 
 (Book of Discipline) "hold out to him, and no 
 MORE."t But the Tract has just asserted, what the 
 Book of Discipline (pp. 21, 22) is careful, in the out- 
 set, to establish, that '• the compact stipulated no ar- 
 rangement," in which is recognized any such repub- 
 hcan principle as a representation of the people in the 
 government of the M. E. Church. Much more 
 would it deny the exclusive right of the people to 
 the management of their own affairs. 
 
 Our author proceeds to argue his cause thus :— 
 ** The Methodist polity is based on a mutual surren- 
 der of rights ; and if the principle should be admit- 
 ted, that the proposed change ought to be made 
 because it is a natural right, it is obvious that the 
 most valued features of the system must be at once 
 sacrificed, and Methodism be no more Methodism, 
 • * Unquestionably, the claim of these rights by the 
 people on the one hand, and by the preachers on the 
 other, would reduce us at once to Congregational- 
 ismP 
 
 Let it be remembered, then, that while Methodism 
 exists, no " lay" member of that church can claim a 
 
 * Editor of Christian Ad. and Journal. 
 
 t "Bond's Appeal, Bait. 1828," quoted in the above Tract, p. 5. 
 
AND METHODISM. 183 
 
 right to any participation in the management of its 
 affairs. If any thing is granted to the people, even 
 in appearance^ it is all of grace^ and not of right. 
 These principles the author of the Tract, aided by 
 Dr. Bond, proceeds to fortify. 
 
 " There is no such analogy between the relation 
 of Methodists to their church, and their relation to 
 the state, as is asserted by the advocates " of repub- 
 licanism in the church. "The two governments are 
 totally dissimilar in their origin^ their authority^ 
 and their design^'^ 
 
 ^^They differ in their origin. Our civil govern- 
 ment originated with the people. They were the 
 sources of power and of change in the government. 
 The government of our church ori^mated, providen- 
 tially, with Wesley and his colleagues. It was ori- 
 ginally and of necessity in their hands, and its sub- 
 sequent administrators are such by virtue of its pro- 
 visions as then established." 
 
 " They differ in their authority. 
 
 "There arises from the nature of our civil obliga- 
 tions a right to participate in the enactment of laws 
 by which we are to be governed. * * But change 
 the nature of these obligations, * * and these rights 
 no longer remain. * * Where obedience is neces- 
 sary ^^^ (as in the state,) " the corresponding rights are 
 inherent, but where obedience is voluntary" (as in a 
 connection with the Methodist Church,) '^ the privi- 
 leges are conditional, and are in extent no more than 
 are stipulated for in the contract between those who 
 govern^ and those who are governed. Now this is 
 precisely the relation which we sustain to the Metho- 
 
134 CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 dist Episcopal Church. We could not carry into this 
 voluntary association any natural rights which are 
 incompatible with the contract we then entered into, 
 and * * the right to participate in the legislative 
 power was no part of the conditions ive stipulated 
 for. The rights which a Methodist possesses, as 
 such," (as a Methodist,) " are purely conventional, * * 
 and they are determined by the articles of associa- 
 tion contained in our Book of Discipline. Whoever 
 enters our church is entitled to all the immunities 
 which the articles of association hold out to him — 
 and 710 moreP (pp. 4, 5.) 
 
 Here we have Methodist doctrine by authority ; 
 and the English language cannot express more posi- 
 tively the fact, that in the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church, the people have not now, never had, and 
 never can have, while -' Methodism remains Metho- 
 dism," " a right to participate" in the government of 
 that church. Certain privileges may be granted as 
 " a sop" to keep them quiet, but they possess no 
 rights in the matter. The " relations" existing be- 
 tween the Methodist clergy and "the laity" are rela- 
 tions Avhich exist between governo^^, on the one 
 hand, and the govcimE-D, on the other. It is the 
 right of the clergy, according to this system, to 
 GOVERN ; the rights of the people, summed up in a 
 word, are — to he governed. 
 
 This doctrine demands a farther consideration. 
 We should wrong ourselves, we should wrong truth, 
 and civil and religious liberty, if we should pass on 
 without noticing, for a moment, the grounds on 
 which such principles are based by their advocates. 
 
AND METHODISM. X85 
 
 What are the grounds of church authority, according 
 to this system? On what do its defenders base this 
 right of the clergy to govern^ and the obligation of 
 the jyeople to obey 7 
 
 " The rights which a Methodist possesses," says 
 Dr. Bond, and as pubHshed upon the wings of the 
 Book Concern, " are purely conventional^'' i. e., 
 " he is entitled to all the immunities which the 
 articles of association hold out to him, and no 
 moreP The ecclesiastical rights of Methodists, 
 then, depend altogether upon agreement, — upon 
 " contract^'' to use their own word. The rights of 
 those who " govern," and the obligations of those 
 who obey, " are purely conventional P Now, if this 
 is a right principle^ it is universally right. The 
 Mormon organization is right, — for it is "conven- 
 tional," — it is a matter of agreement, — of " contract." 
 '' Those who enter" the Morm.on community, enter 
 it " voluntarily P Jesuitism, and all the ecclesiasti- 
 cal principles of Popery are right, for they are mat- 
 ters of " contract." The Jesuit swears implicit obedi- 
 ence to the general of his order ; the Catholic is 
 bound to believe and obey " Mother Church ;" — and 
 the Methodist candidate for ordination binds himself, 
 in the language of the Book of Discipline, to " act, 
 not according to his own 2uill,'^ but to do " that part 
 of the work, in the place, at the time, and in the 
 manner" Avhich others " direct."* These things are 
 all equally right, according to the argument ; for 
 they are all equally '^ conventional," — they are all 
 equally matters of " contract." It is the right of the 
 * Book of Dis. pp. 39, 40, 127, 137. 
 
186 CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 goveinoY to co?nma?id ; it is the duty of the ^' go- 
 •yernEi)" to obey. And this is not the incidental o^q- 
 ration of the Methodist system ; it is the system it- 
 self. It is tlie Methodist theory of church govern- 
 ment ; and it comes to us as a matter of obligation, 
 binding the conscience, and annihilating the judg- 
 ment and the will, — chaining the entire man, body, 
 soul and spirit, to the galley of a hierarchy. It is 
 on this principle, that the itinerant clergy "submit 
 to the absolute disposal of a general superintendent 
 (bishop), whom they have clothed with authority to 
 send them to any part of the land."* It is on this 
 principle that the people are under obligation to sub- 
 mit to the " absolute^^ government of the clergy whom 
 they have clothed tcith authority, — no, not clothed 
 with authority, — but whom they have acknowledged 
 in " the contract" to be clothed " with full powers 
 to make rules and regulations" for the Methodist 
 Episcopal Church.t 
 
 Can any principles be more utterly subversive of 
 both civil and religious liberty, than such principles 
 as these ? Has the Christian — ^the freeman in Christ 
 Jesus — no rights in the church, except those which 
 are " conventional," — except those which he may 
 secure by " contract 7" Is that man a free man, who 
 is, and must be bound by obligation to " submit to 
 the absolute disposal" of others ? Is this the nature 
 of the Christian's rights ? Has he none that are in- 
 herent, and inalienable as his nature ? But more 
 than this ; has he no responsibilities ? May he, as 
 a subject of the great Head of the Church, thus re- 
 * Tract, p. 6, (Dr. Bond.) t Book of Dis. p. 21. 
 
AND METHODISM. j g^ 
 
 sign himself, his rights, his duties, his creed, his per- 
 sonal faith, '• to the absolute disposal"' of others 1 
 Can he thus transfer his responsibilities, as a stew- 
 ard of God? 
 
 Hear how Methodism answers these questions, 
 and decides these principles, in the Tract under ex- 
 amination. '' We observe farther, that such a con- 
 formity to the model of our free institutions" (by 
 which the people would have a voice in the man- 
 agement of church affairs) " is not considered neces- 
 sary or desirable in most of the voluntary organiza- 
 tions of a secular character in the land. They 
 adapt themselves to their designs and emergencies, 
 and are contented with such checks and balances as 
 will prevent abuses. This isj)recisely the arrange- 
 ment of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Nay, 
 our civil government itself presents, in some of its 
 collateral branches, similar deviations from its gene- 
 ral model. It maintains an army and navy. The 
 power of military command is absolute ; — the only 
 maxim of the soldier is to " o6ey," if it carries him 
 to the cannon's mouth. How would the representa- 
 tive principle work amidst the emergencies of the 
 camp, or of the high seas ? What propriety is there 
 then, in this indiscriminate cry of ' repubHcanism,' 
 in reference to voluntary compacts ? We are sure 
 that no American citizens love republicanism better 
 than the members of our church, but this boisterous 
 fallacy has always proved too flimsy to beguile their 
 sound discernment. They believe, that being un- 
 der the broad shelter of a free civil system, to which 
 all other organizations are responsible, the latter" 
 
188 CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 (i. e., church organizations as well as others) ^' may 
 assume any form that convenience or efficiency may 
 justify, without serious danger. Their church sys- 
 tem is altogether ^nilitant, requiring great sacrifices, 
 great energy, and decisive promptness ; they believe 
 they can have such a system, under the civil system 
 of the land, with as much, nay, more propriety, than 
 the latter can maintain an army or navy, or than pe- 
 cuniary companies, involving the property of thou- 
 sands, can deviate from the precise model of the 
 state."* 
 
 Comment would but hide the deformity of prin- 
 ciples such as are here admitted and defended, though 
 designed to be covertly and plausibly stated. "The 
 voluntary secular organizations of the land adapt 
 themselves to their designs and emergencies^ and 
 this is precisely the arrangement of the Methodist 
 Episcopal Church." And the most natural and ap- 
 propriate illustrations are, the army and the navy^ 
 and the absolute power of military command^ and 
 the only maxim of the soldier, to ohey^ if it car- 
 ries him to the cannon'' s 7nouth ; and this followed 
 by the sneering interrogatory, how would the repre- 
 sentative principle operate amid the emergencies of 
 the camp and of the high seas? and the declaration 
 that their church system is altogether ?nilitant, — not 
 merely aggressive, but " military," in its spirit of 
 comma7id and of ohediejice ; together with the ad- 
 mission that their only effectual " shelter" from op- 
 pression is the civil system of the land, — that they 
 are left, absolutely, with no efficient check, except 
 
 * Tract, pp. 6, 7. 
 
AND METHODISM. 189 
 
 on those points which may be reached by the civil 
 power. In plain terms, the clergy may extend their 
 power just as far as the civil law will permit. Can 
 clerical ambition desire a broader field in which to 
 range ? What " shelter " from spiritual oppression 
 does the Catholic find under our '-'civil system?" 
 Wherein does it interfere with the fastings, and con- 
 fessionals, and penance, and priestly domination of 
 Popery ? What " shelter " does he find under the 
 '• civil system," in countries where the spiritual power 
 is dominant ? Be not repelled by these implied con- 
 clusions ; the principles here advanced are none of 
 my fabricating ; they are the living spirit of Metho- 
 dism, and are proclaimed upon the trumpet-tongue 
 of the Book Concern. 
 
 One element more is wanting, to render the sys- 
 tem complete, and that is furnished by Dr. Bond in 
 his famous " Appeal." He says, ''We arrogate no 
 authority to enact any laws of our own, either of 
 moral or of civil force."* Dr. Bond cannot mean to 
 oppose the Book of Discipline, which declares (p. 21) 
 that the itinerant clergy, in General Conference, 
 " hsive full poicers to make rules and regulations for 
 the Church." The key to his assertion must be found 
 in the word " arrogate," and that is explained by 
 what immediately follows. ^^ Our cor7i7?iission is to 
 preach the Gospel, atid to enforce the moral disci- 
 pline established by the one Lawgiver, hy those 
 spiritual powers vested in us as suhordiJiate pas- 
 tors. * * Whether laymen or ministers are the author- 
 ized expounders and administrators of those laws, 
 
 * Tract, p. 10. 
 
 9* 
 
190 CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 we can confidently rely on the good Christian sense 
 of the great body of our brethren to decide."* 
 
 Charity requires us to suppose that Dr. Bond 
 has deceived himself here. We would not impute 
 to him any improper motive ; but could a Jesuit, or 
 the Pope himself assume or require more? Or 
 could he have stated his claims in other, or better 
 terms ? What doctrine of papal tyranny and of 
 abominations, is not found, or pretended to be found, 
 in the Bible, or sanctioned by it? What ghostly pre- 
 tender to absolute spiritual power needs more than 
 the claim here assumed, viz. than " his commission to 
 ENFORCE the 7?ioral discipline established by the one 
 Lawgiver, by those spiritual powers vested 
 IN HIM as a subordinate PASTOR,'" — Christ's real 
 vicegerent, — " and as an authorized expounder and 
 administrator of the laivs^^ of God's house? Where, 
 in the history of Christendom, can broader claims 
 be found to exclusive spiritual dominion, than are 
 here assumed and advocated ? 
 
 But the system of Methodism is based upon prin- 
 ciples which are as subversive of civil as they are 
 of religious liberty. Says Dr. Bond, " Civil govern- 
 ment is instituted to promote the welfare of those 
 included in the compact^ " It claims our allegiance 
 from the very circumstances of our being born with- 
 in its jurisdiction ; there arises therefore, from the 
 nature of our civil obligations, a right to participate 
 in the enactment of the laws by which we are to be 
 governed, as soon as ice are dee7ned capable of ex- 
 ercising that right."t The principle here advanced — 
 
 » Tract, pp. 10,11. t Tract, p. 4. 
 
AND METHODISM. 191 
 
 and it is a fundamental one — is, that the civil rights 
 and obligations of the people depend upon " a 
 compact J^ and " upon the circumstance of their be- 
 ing born" under civil government. Of course the 
 'practical exercise of these rights, and even the rights 
 themselves^ will vary, as " the compact" or the " cir- 
 cumstances" vary. ' Let a people grow up under the 
 idea that, in respect to all spiritual matters they 
 possess absolutely no rights^ but must look up to, 
 and obey others who claim, and who are supposed 
 to be ^^ vested ivith authority'^ to ^^ govern^'' them, by 
 a divine " commission ;" and let this idea be accom- 
 panied and modified by the further idea that their 
 civil rights are to be regulated, in some indefinite 
 sense, by " a compact," and " by the circumstance of 
 their birth ;" and who can fail of seeing that the 
 very foundations of civil liberty are loosened ? Could 
 ambition itself desire more ample materials, already 
 fitted to its hand, with which to erect for itself a 
 throne of power ; — especially when those materials 
 have been shaped and moulded by spiritual domina- 
 tion ? We have an illustration, in the career of the 
 great Irish agitator, swaying the assembled myriads, 
 as the ocean is agitated and upheaved by the earth- 
 quake ; but when one of his spiritual lords utters a 
 word of constructive rebuke, he descends from his 
 magic throne, crouching and fawning hke a whip- 
 ped spaniel. And yet a set defender of Episcopal 
 Methodism coolly assures us, that " no American cit- 
 izens love republicanism better than the members of 
 that church ;" '• that this boisterous fallacy" of repub- 
 licanism in the church, "has always proved too 
 
192 CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 flimsy to beguile their sound judgment." And is it 
 so, that the people will swallow this civil and eccle- 
 siastical poison, if it is sugared over with " the love 
 of republica7i{s?Ji ?" Will they bare their foreheads 
 to the brand of an " absolute" dictator,* provided it 
 read, " The love of repiihlicanism ?" It is false 
 and delusive to say, '' There can be no danger, for 
 the great body of Methodists are good republicans, in 
 their politics." As well might it be said, there is no 
 danger in embarking onboard a leaky ship, provided 
 you have a good crew. As well might it be said, 
 there is no danger to the mariner, though the chart 
 and compass and chronometer are all wrong, and the 
 captain is guided by false principles. The ship may 
 not be lost, indeed, — but who, in his senses, would 
 regard it safe to take passage on board of her ? 
 
 But is it time that the rights of the people 
 depend on " a compact," and " the circumstance of 
 birth," and " the necessity of obedience V Is it not, 
 rather, that these rights are based in our very natures, 
 as intellectual, social, moral, and accountable ; that 
 man, as tnan^ is entitled^ is possessed, inherently, 
 with the right of self-government ? And if this is 
 true in respect to the interests of time, as those inte- 
 rests are affected by civil government, how nnich 
 more is it true in respect to those things which affect 
 his interests for eternity ?t 
 
 * Tract, p. 6. 
 
 t Since this chapter was written, the following has been met with 
 in the N. Y. Observer for December, 1843. It is from a notice of a 
 *' Review of Bishop B. T. Onderdonk's Address, in respect to a late 
 Ordination. By Observer. Philadelphia : Stavely and M'Calla." 
 
 " ' The Bishop's theory of the Church, then, when stript of its mys- 
 
AND METHODISM. 193 
 
 Dismissing now the Tract, let us summon an- 
 other witness, also from the ranks of Methodism, and 
 no less a name than the Rev. Dr. Bascom. In addi- 
 
 tification, is simply this — the government is of God. He gave all 
 power and prerogative to Bishops — they (the Bishops) under sanction 
 of the Scriptures and the Fathers, granted to Presbyters and Deacons, 
 and to the laity generally, a certain interest in the administration of 
 the polity of the Church. Hence Presbyters and Deacons are respon- 
 sible to God through the Bishops, and these are responsible to their 
 own order ; and in this whole matter the Laity have nothing to do as 
 * of right.' 
 
 " ' Our readers need not be told that all this is despotism, — des- 
 potism, with scarcely a softening feature. All power is given to the 
 Bishops ; they have indeed conceded somewhat to the other orders of 
 the ministry and to the laity ; but of these concessions the Bishops 
 themselves are, after all, the sole judges, because responsible for their 
 conduct only to their own order ; — which responsibility, therefore, is 
 practically, and, so far as the Church is concerned, no responsibility at 
 all. A more perfect theory of arbitrary power, it would be impossible to 
 frame. It out-popes the pope. 
 
 " ' Of the account of the origin of civil governments here present- 
 ed, we need say but little. Fidelity, however, to the cause of truth and 
 right, compels us to object to it, as altogether erroneous, and full of mis- 
 chief It is a revival of the old exploded doctrine of the Social Compact, 
 first prominently presented, we believe, by the Atheistic Hobbes, in the 
 seventeenth century, and afterwards advocated by Locke, in order to 
 overthrow the tyrannical assumptions of the favorers of the political jus 
 divinum theory . It was subsequently adopted by Rousseau, just because 
 it suited the infidel turn of his mind, and took away all divine sanctions 
 from human government. It is, moreover, the very notion now unhap- 
 pily prevalent among so large a class in our country, manifesting itself 
 in irreverence for civil authority, and reckless assaults upon the first 
 principles of social order.' " 
 
 " This is well. Spiritual despotism — lording it over the con- 
 sciences of men, sanctifying error, and crushing the aspirations of 
 truth — will be swept away when the spirit of this Review animates 
 the hearts and minds of American Episcopalians. Why, in England — 
 old England — where the moss of centuries grows upon the walls of 
 
194 CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 tion to the individual character of the witness, his 
 testimony exhibits the grounds upon which more 
 than one hundred thousand individuals have re- 
 noujiced some of the leading j^rimciples of Episco- 
 pal Methodism. Dr. Bascom, therefore, but echoes 
 the experience of one hundred thousand independ- 
 ent witnesses. 
 
 " In every community there is a power which 
 is sovereign^ a power which is not subject to control. 
 Those members only of the community are free, in 
 whom the sovereign power resides. If this power 
 is confined to a few, freedom is necessarily confined 
 to the same number." Compare this with the sen- 
 timents which have been exhibited above from the 
 organ of Methodism. " A prescriptive legislative 
 body," Dr. B. continues, (a body of men not appoint- 
 ed by the people,) " making laws for the government 
 of the people, is ,a despotism." Who appoint the 
 members of the General and Annual Conferences ? 
 
 Church and State — the tyranny of American Puseyism would not be 
 tolerated a single hour. And the wonder is, when the New-man-ia of 
 Oxfordism has been arrested in the land of its birth, and some of its ear- 
 liest victims have been cured of their madness, (see Palmer's Narra- 
 tive of Events,) that here, in this republican country, the very genius 
 of whose institutions has unhappily been regarded as a protection 
 against Popery, the most arrogant assumptions of ecclesiastical tyran- 
 ny are set up, and unblushingly defended by such men as can always 
 be found under the shadow of civil or spiritual despotism." 
 
 We have only to substitute in the appropriate places, the words* 
 " Itinerant clergy" for " Bishops" and this extract has a perfect ap- 
 propriateness to the Methodist Episcopal " theory of the Church." 
 
 There are many who would hail the sentiments of " Observer," 
 as manly, and well uttered. Will those sentiments be maintained, 
 without " respect of persons ?" We shall see. 
 
AND METHODISM. . 195 
 
 " Legislators without constituents deputing them, as 
 their representatives — thus constituting themselves 
 a legislature beyond the control of the people, is an 
 exhibition of tyranny in one of its most dangerous 
 forms." 
 
 " A government uniting the legislative^ judicial^ 
 and executive powers in the hands of the same men, 
 is an absurdity in theory, and in practice tyranny. 
 Whenever, therefore, it happens that these three de- 
 partments of government are in the hands of the 
 same body of men,* and these men not the represen- 
 tatives of the people, first making the laws, then ex- 
 ecuting them, and finally the sole judges of their 
 own acts, there is no liberty, the j^eople are virtually 
 enslaved ; whether they are well or ill-treated, they 
 are in fact slaves^ and such a government cannot 
 fail to be injurious. Such a government must al- 
 ways lead to mental debility^ will depress the moral 
 vigor of a people, and necessarily abridge the liberty 
 of reasoning and investigation.'''' 
 
 '-'■ The right to be represented^ where law is made 
 to govern, is not only essential to civil freedom, but 
 is equally the basis of religious liberty. Civil and 
 religious liberty are intimately connected ; they usu- 
 ally live and die together, and he who is the friend 
 of the one, cannot consistently be the enemy of the 
 other. If liberty, as is admitted on all hands, is the 
 perfection of civil society, by what right can religious 
 society become despoiled of this crowning excellence 
 of the social state ? The New Testament furnishes 
 the principles" (and, I add, in many cases the forms, 
 furnishing the entire outline) "of church government. 
 
196 CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 The will and mind of the Great Head of the Church, 
 on this subject, so far as clearly revealed, whether 
 by express statute, or clear implication, cannot he 
 contravened without imfiety. Ministers and private 
 Christians, according to the New Testament, are en- 
 titled to an equality of rights and privileges. A 
 monopoly of power, therefore, by the ministry, is a 
 usnrpatio7i of the rights of the people. As the min- 
 istry cannot think and act for the people, in matters 
 of principle and conviction, so neither can they 
 legislate for them, except as their authorized repre- 
 sentatives. The assumption that absolute power in 
 the affairs of church government is ?^ sacred deposit" 
 {^^ vested," in the language of Dr. Bond,) "in the 
 hands of the ministry/, libels the genius of the New 
 Testament. Whenever a Christian people place 
 themselves under a ministry which claims the right 
 of thinking and deciding for them, in matters of faith 
 and morality, they are guilty of impiety, however 
 unintentional, to the Great Head of the Church, in- 
 asmuch as it is required of every Christian to reflect 
 and determine for himself, in all such cases, and the 
 duty cannot be performed by another. And those 
 ministers who aim at principality of this kind, in 
 the personal concerns of faith and practice, are 
 plainly guilty of usurping dominion over the rights 
 and co7isciences of the people." 
 
 In the next sentence. Dr. Bascom doubtless aims 
 at the great argument which has been drawn in favor 
 of Methodism, from the rapidity with which it has 
 spread. 
 
 ''^Expediency and right are different things. 
 
■ AND METHODISM. X97 
 
 Nothing is expedient that is unjust. Necessity and 
 convenience" (and, he might have added, human 
 policy) " may render a form of government effective 
 for a time, which afterwards, under a change of cir- 
 cumstances, and an accumulation of responsibiUty, 
 may become oppressive and intolerable. That sys- 
 tem of things which cannot be justified by the Word 
 of God, and the common sense of mankind, can 
 never be expedient. Submission to power, gradually 
 and insidiously usurped, should seldom or never be 
 received as proof of the legitimate consent of the 
 people to the peculiar form of government by which 
 they are oppressed ; as submission may be the re- 
 sult of principles, attachments, and energies," (in 
 two words, power and prejudice.) "which owe 
 their existence to causes foreign from" those which 
 are " supposed to produce them ; for, as men by 
 birth and education, may become the subjects of 
 a form of civil government they do not approve, so 
 thousands may be born into the kingdom of God, 
 and nurtured in his family, under forms of ecclesias- 
 tical policy, materially inconsistent with Revelation 
 on this subject. The continued sufferance and sub- 
 mission of the people, so far from proving the divine 
 right of those who govern," only " proves" the peo- 
 ple's ignorance, or prejudice, or " forbearance." 
 
 In the face of " those portions of the New Testa- 
 ment, which go directly against the rights of the 
 ministry to exclusive rule in the Church, in all ages 
 since the times of the apostles, and in" almost " all 
 parts of the world, a large majority of those calling 
 themselves Christian ministers have shown a dispo- 
 
198 CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 sition," especially " in ecclesiastical affairs, to main- 
 tain an influence in matters of government, inde- 
 pendent of the people. It is lamentably true, that 
 in the various divisions of Papal and Protestant 
 Christendom, both duty and veneration for the dead 
 have been urged as sufficient reasons for withhold- 
 ing the rights of the people, and lording it over God's 
 heritage." 
 
 " It is true, to a great extent, that throughout all 
 divisions of the Christian world, the subject of church 
 goveriimenf^ has been lightly appreciated and im- 
 perfectly understood ; " and this affords the ministry 
 an opportunity of misleading the people on the sub- 
 ject of their rights, and, in too many instances, they 
 resign themselves the passive subjects of their 
 religious teachers, without once inquiring whether, 
 in doing so, they do not dishonor the Great Head of 
 the Church. Whenever the members of a church 
 resign the right of discussing" and controlling their 
 own ecclesiastical affairs, "whether it be done by direct 
 concession, or indirectly, by attaching themselves to, 
 or continuing within the pale of a church, where 
 such a system of polity obtains, they renounce^ to a 
 fearful extent, one of the first principles of the 
 Protestant religion. The rock on which the Chris- 
 tian Church has split for ages, is, that the sovereign 
 power to regulate all ecclesiastical matters, (not de- 
 cided by the Scriptures, and which of right belongs 
 to a Christian community as such,) has, by a most 
 mischievous and unnatural policy, misnamed expe- 
 diency, been transferred to the hands of a few min- 
 isters, who have been, in part, the patricians of the 
 
AND METHODISM. . .. jgg 
 
 ministry, and the aristocracy of the church. When- 
 ever a system of church government is adopted, which 
 calls oft' the attention of the governed from the gen- 
 eral welfare, by depriving them of all control in the 
 enactment of laws, the natural aiid unavoidable 
 tendency of a government of this description is 
 vicious and demoralizing. The maxim which 
 assmiies that the ministry has a right to rule and 
 dictate exclusively, in the great concerns of religion, 
 is the fruitful source of implicit faith, which, tamely 
 and without inquiry, receives instruction at the hands 
 of men as authoritative and final — impiously receiv- 
 ing for doctrines the commandments of men, and 
 perverting the oracles of God." 
 
 " That form of church government under which 
 the revenues of the church proceed from the people, 
 when they have no j)<^rticipation in the enactment 
 of its laivs, furnishes no constitutional balance of 
 power. No power possesses so fatal a principle of 
 increase and accumulation in itself, as ecclesiastical 
 power^ "When the ministry avail themselves of 
 the indifference, or ignorance of the people brought 
 under their charge from time to time, to constitute 
 themselves their legislative masters and executive 
 guardians, they usurp the dominion of conscience, 
 and, although never complained of, are, in fact, re- 
 ligious tyrants, because they assume and exercise 
 rights that do not, and can not, in the nature of 
 things, belong to them. Such a monopoly of power 
 by the ministry, tends directly to mental debasement, 
 to indecision of character, to insincerity, and mis- 
 guided ZEAL."* 
 
 * These Quotations from Rev. Dr. Bascom have been condensed 
 
200 CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 This witness has been detained the longer, not 
 only from the importance of the truths which he 
 utters, but because he utters the testimony of such 
 a " cloud of wit7iessesy This " Declaration of 
 Rights" ivas designed to intimate the grievances on 
 account of which the various other organizations of 
 Methodists have abandoned the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church. Their reforms are, indeed, but partial 
 ones ; but that fact does not invalidate, or even 
 diminish the importance or correctness of their testi- 
 mony. None will question their competency as 
 witnesses on this subject, for they have grown up 
 under the system, and their strongest prejudices have 
 all been in its favor. 
 
 As early as the year 1791, complaints began to 
 arise in " the Connection," against certain features of 
 the Methodist system. These murmurs, like the 
 deep rumblings of a volcano, have been constantly 
 increasing, and have occasionally found vent in 
 
 from " The Wesleyan Companion, Vol. I. No. 2." Efforts have been 
 made to break the force of these sentiments, from the fact that their 
 author is found a reconciled son of the M. E. Church. But how can 
 these " self-evident truths" be affected by the consistency or incon- 
 sistency of those who utter them 1 Would the principles contained 
 in the " Declaration of Independence" have been rendered false, if 
 their authors had followed the example of Benedict Arnold? Those 
 who have the means of knowing dates have asserted, that it was soon 
 after the above " Declaration" by Dr. Bascom, that he received his 
 professorship in Augusta College. We by no means assert that this 
 was any part of Methodist management of refractory members ; or 
 that it had any thing to do with his reconciliation with " Mother 
 Church." But we must be permitted to question, whether there is 
 another system in the Protestant world that can, so unifonnly, pro- 
 duce such results. 
 
AND METHODISM. 201 
 
 an explosion. The complaints have been directed, 
 chiefly, against two points, viz., the powers of the 
 bishops, and the exclusion of the people from a par- 
 ticipation in the government of the church. The 
 General Conference has been the battle field in this 
 warfare ; and the actual contest has been chiefly 
 waged against the bishops, for the good reason that 
 no warriors could enter there but from the ranks of 
 the clergy, and they have appeared to feel more sen- 
 sibly the weight of the bishop's foot upon their own 
 necks, than the combined weight of the itinerant 
 clergy, bishops and all, upon the necks of the people. 
 
 During the period from 1791 to 1793, within eight 
 years after the organization of the Methodist Episco- 
 pal Church, two considerable secessions took place in 
 Yirginia and North Carolina, under Rev. Wm. Ham- 
 met, and Rev. J. O'Kelley. At the sessions of the 
 General Conference in 1800, 1812, '16, '20, '24, and 
 '28, the contest was continued — chiefly, however, in 
 respect to the powers of the bishops — when it was, 
 in effect, decided , and decided in favor of the bish- 
 ops. It was probably in view of this long contest, 
 and their final triumphs, that one of the bishops, 
 when refusing to put a resolution, said to the Con- 
 ference — yes, and to the New England Conference 
 — " It is too late in the day for me to give m^y rea- 
 sons''''!* 
 
 During these discussions, and these unavailing 
 efforts, repeated secessions occurred. One body, called 
 " the Reformed Methodist Church," originated in New 
 England, and numbers about fifty ordained, and 
 
 * Wesleyan Companion, Vol. I. No. 2, p. 56. 
 
202 CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 twenty-five licensed preachers, and two or three 
 thousand members. The next prominent secession 
 took place in 1827, '8, under the name of the " Meth- 
 odist Protestant Church." At the present time it 
 numbers about seventy-five thousand members. The 
 Wesleyan Methodist Church was organized in 1843. 
 In March, 1844, it consisted of six Annual Confer- 
 ences, extending from Maine to lUinois, and num- 
 bered between 300 and 400 preachers, and more 
 than 15,000 members. 
 
 From about the year 1824, the people urged their 
 rights to a representation in the management of 
 their church attairs. The reply of the Conference 
 — not of the bishops only, but of the clergy assem- 
 bled in General Conference — was, "Pardon us if 
 
 "WE KNOW NO SUCH RIGHTS : IF WE COMPREHEND 
 
 NO SUCH PRIVILEGES."* And whou the people urge 
 
 * For the above facts and statistics, I depend upon the Wesleyan 
 Companion, Vol. 1. No. 2, pp. 89-97. 
 
 At this point we are grateful for another extract from the Review 
 of Bishop Onderdonk's Address, already referred to. 
 
 " With this theory of Church government and Episcopal responsi- 
 bility before us, we are at no loss to explain the monstrous outrage by 
 the Chair upon the rights of one member of the New York Conven- 
 tion — John Duer — and the equally monstrous avowal of another 
 member, Mr. Ogden — that the matter of admission to the ministry 
 was entirely in the hands of the Bishop, the others had nothing to do 
 with it, only so far as he might choose to ask their counsel. Clerical 
 arrogance and Lay obsequiousness, go hand in hand; they are the 
 natural results of such views. But a free people will ever abhor such 
 theories and the practices growing out of them." 
 
 -" Observer" may decide whether the " one million members" of the 
 Methodist Episcopal Church are "practically" "a free people." We 
 presume he would not adopt the principle, that " to take the life of an 
 individual constitutes a murderer : to take the life of a million, a hero." 
 
AND METHODISM. 2Q3 
 
 their clainij as a natural right, they are told that the 
 foundation of rights in ecclesiastical bodies rests 
 on a different basis. But they are also denied all 
 " acquired rights ;" and thus the petitioners are re- 
 pulsed with an utter denial of all ecclesiastical rights, 
 on the part of the people. 
 
 Why may not a Congregationalist engage in the 
 discussion of these subjects without being denounced, 
 as a wanton disturber of the peace, as "turning the 
 world upside down" ? Are not the principles here 
 discussed important, fundameiitally important ? Is 
 there not a duty in respect to these matters, which is 
 solemnly binding upon those who are " set for the 
 defence" of the truth ? Can it be, that Neio Eng- 
 land men^ and Nexo England Christians^ will be 
 blind and deaf to these subjects? And when the at- 
 tempt is made, by trifling criticisms, and cavils, and 
 cries of falsehood, to break the force of truth and de- 
 fend error, let them, Rsfree men, and as accountable 
 men, remember their origin ; let them remember the 
 sires from whom they sprung ; let them remember 
 their rights ; and above all, let them remember their 
 accountability. 
 
"A Wheel in the middle of a Wheel."-— Ezek. 1: 16. 
 
 The Mechanism of Episcopal Methodism— The Ministry, Itinerant and Local — 
 Bishops— Elders— Deacons—Presiding Elders — Preachers in Charge — Clerical 
 Organizations — General Conference — Annual Conference-duarterly Confer- 
 ence — The Church — Societies — Classes — Bands — Class Leaders — Exhorters-- 
 Trustecs- Stewards — Circuits — Districts — Control of Churches — Book Concern 
 — Organization of Quarterly Conference — Nothing left with the People — A 
 Case — Dr. Bangs — Church Funds — •' Hands in the People's Pockets." 
 
 The simplicity of the Gospel scheme is one of 
 its most striking characteristics. No comphcated 
 system of machinery is contrived to redeem and 
 sanctify the soul. There is the naked cross, and the 
 divine Comforter to apply its virtues. So it is in the 
 externals of religion ; all is simple, and equally free 
 from intricate forms and pompous ceremonies. There 
 is the family of Christ, united by the simplest bonds, 
 and governed by the fewest possible laws. Wherev- 
 er believers were found, they were gathered into a 
 church ; and that church was the simplest of all or- 
 ganizations. No multiplicity of offices and titles was 
 established, on the one hand ; and on the other, no 
 lordly dictator usurped the reins of government. 
 The Acts of the Apostles, and the Epistles, record 
 just one class of men set apart to the sacred minis- 
 try, who are called, indiscriminately, bishops, elders, 
 and presbyters. Their office is to preach the gospel, 
 
CONGREGATIONALISM, ETC. 205 
 
 and to administer its ordinances, and to guide the 
 flock by truth ; not to rule by authority. To attend 
 to the pecuniary matters of the church, another class 
 of officers was instituted, viz., deacons. They were 
 ministers, not of the word, but of tables. TJie offi- 
 cers of a church are particularly mentioned, and 
 their duties defined. Therefore, however special 
 duties may have been performed by the apostles, and 
 by those whom the apostles appointed to those spe- 
 cial duties, as evangelists, or temporary residents, all 
 is clear, if we adopt what v/e knoio^ and rest satis- 
 fied with it — if we confine ourselves to what is spe- 
 cifically decided, and do not add to these things 
 human inferences and human expediency , Equally 
 clear is it, that all power in the administration of af 
 fairs was with the brethren. The truth of this ap- 
 pears in the history of the appointment of an apostle, 
 in the place of Judas, and in the appointment of 
 deacons. Is a grave question to be discussed, affect- 
 ing the interests of the churches ? The brethren are 
 associated in council with their pastors. (Acts 15.) 
 Is discipline to be performed ? The brethren are to 
 perform it. (Matt. 18 : — 1 Cor. 5, <fcc.) Are pastors 
 needed for the churches ? Their election by the 
 brethren is specifically stated, (Acts 14 : 28,) — and 
 the record teaches that this is the common fact ; and 
 finally, affairs were not " set in order " in the church- 
 es, until pastors were appointed to the exclusive care 
 of particular churches. In proof of this, the pas- 
 sage last referred to, may be taken in connection 
 with Acts 20 : 17, 28, and similar passages. 
 
 The importajice of this " simplicity which is 
 10 
 
206 CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 in Christ " is perceived, if we look at the multiplica- 
 tion of offices in the church, in connection with the 
 corruptions with which it was marred in its early- 
 history. As corruptions increased, offices were mul- 
 tiplied to meet the demands of ambition. There 
 were patriarchs and metropolitans, bishops and arch- 
 bishops, city bishops and country bishops, deacons, 
 and subdeacons and archdeacons, doorkeepers, read- 
 ers and exorcists, *' and others," in common phrase, 
 "too numerous -to mention." And just in propor- 
 tion as the number of the rulers increased, the powers 
 of the people declined. 
 
 Having examined the Methodist theory of church 
 sovernment, our next object is to examine its exter- 
 nal organization, and see how it compares with the 
 simplicity of the gospel. 
 
 1. The ministry. 
 
 This is of two kinds, or classes ; — the itinerant, 
 and the local ministry. 
 
 1. The itinerants. These are expected to devote 
 themselves exclusively to the work of the ministry. 
 They are called itinerant, not because they all 
 " travel " through " circuits," preaching at particular 
 points, regularly, in succession ; but because their 
 " appointments are fixed " by the bishop anew every 
 one or two years ; and, indeed, may be changed at 
 any time by him " in the intervals of the conferen- 
 ces." (pp- 26, 28.)* It is the itinerant clergy in whom 
 those " spiritual powers are " exclusively *' vested,'^ 
 which furnished the theme of our last chapter. 
 
 * The '' pages " referred to, are Book of Discipline, Edition of 
 1844. 
 
AND METHODISM. 2Q7 
 
 They have been called the '^ standing army of the 
 Methodist Ej^iscopal Church^ 
 
 2. Local preachers. These are regularly or- 
 dained ministers, and are expected to devote them- 
 selves to the work of the ministry, as circumstances 
 may require, though still pursuing some worldly 
 calling. In the absence of an itinerant, a local 
 preacher may be appointed, temporarily, in his place, 
 to perform his duties, and receiving his compensa- 
 tion. (p. 72.) The local preachers have been called 
 the militia of the Methodist Church. A local 
 preacher possesses no right to a participation in the 
 supreme government of the church, and occupies but 
 a subordinate place in the ministry. 
 
 Another peculiarity of Episcopal Methodism is the 
 division of the ministry into different ranks. Metho- 
 dist writers admit, technically, of two ranks in the 
 ministry, and hut two, viz., elders and deacons. But 
 they have, in addition, the office of bishop. The 
 difference between a bishop and an elder is made to 
 consist, not in " mijiisterial rank^^^ but in " office.'^ 
 
 1. A bishop. " A bishop is constituted by the 
 election of the General Conference, and the laying 
 on of the hands of three bishops ; or at least of one 
 bishop, and two elders. If, by death or otherwise, 
 no bishop is remaining in the church, the elders, or 
 any three of them, appointed by the General Confer- 
 ence for that purpose, shall perform the rite of ordi- 
 nation." His principal official duties are, " to preside 
 in the conferences, — to fix the appointments of the 
 preachers for the several circuits, — in the intervals of 
 the conferences to change, receive, and suspend 
 
208 CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 preachers, — to travel through the connection at large, 
 — to oversee the spiritual and temporal business of 
 the church, — to ordain bishops, elders, and deacons, 
 and to decide all questions of law in an Annual Con- 
 ference, subject to an appeal to the General Confer- 
 ence ; though in all cases, the application of law 
 shall be with the conference. A bishop is amenable 
 to the General Conference, who have power to expel 
 him /or imjjroper conduct,''^ "If a bishop be ac- 
 cused of immorality, three travelling elders shall ex- 
 amine him on the subject, and if they verily believe 
 him guilty, they shall call to their aid two presiding 
 elders from two districts in the neighborhood of that 
 where the crime was committed, each of which pre- 
 siding elder shall bring with him two elders, or an 
 elder and deacon ; and if two-thirds of this ' confer- 
 ence ' regard him guilty, they shall suspend him till 
 the ensuing General Conference/' (pp, 26-30.) 
 
 2. An elder. " An elder is constituted by the 
 election of a majority of the yearly conference, and 
 by the laying on of the hands of the bishop, and 
 some of the elders present. The duties of a travel- 
 ling elder are, to administer the sacraments, — to per- 
 form the office of matrimony, and all parts of divine 
 service, and to perform all the duties of a travelling 
 preacher." (p. 33.) 
 
 3. A deacon. A deacon is " constituted " in the 
 same way as an elder. The duties of a travelling dea- 
 con are, " to baptize, and perform the office of mat- 
 rimony, in the absence of an elder, — to assist an el- 
 der in administering the Lord's Supper, — and to 
 perform all the duties of a travelling preacher." (p. 
 
AND METHODISM. 209 
 
 34.) The difference between the ecclesiastical cha- 
 racter of itinerant and local elders and deacons, 
 seems to relate to their legislative and executive ca- 
 pacity. 
 
 A travelling preacher is instructed, among other 
 things, " not to mend^^ the "rules," but to ^^ keep 
 them," — for " a Methodist preacher is to mind every 
 point, great and small, in the Methodist discipline," 
 and to " act in all things not according to " his " own 
 will, but as a son in the gospel," — " to employ " his 
 *' time," '^ and to do that part of the work, at those 
 times and places " which his brethren and superiors 
 "judge most " for God's " glory." (pp. 39, 40.) 
 
 4. Besides the above distinctions in ministerial 
 rank, there are other distinctions of office. Among 
 these are, 
 
 Presiding elders. They are a sort of sub-bish- 
 ops ; they are chosen by the bishops, and are ap- 
 pointed by them to particular " districts." The du- 
 ties of a presiding elder are, " to travel in his district, 
 — in the absence of the bishop, to change, receive, 
 and suspend preachers, and to preside in the confer- 
 ence, — to be present, as far as practicable, at all the 
 quarterly meetings, — to call together, at each quar- 
 terly meeting, a quarterly meeting conference, — to 
 oversee the spiritual and temporal business of the 
 church in his district, — to take care that every part 
 of the discipline is enforced in his district, — to de- 
 cide all questions of laiu in a quarterly meeting con- 
 ference, subject to an appeal to the president of the 
 next Annual Conference, though in all cases the ap- 
 plication of law shall be with the conference, — to at- 
 
210 CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 tend the bishops when present in his district, and 
 give them, when absent, all necessary information, 
 by letter, of the state of his district." (pp. 30, 31.) 
 
 5. There are also those who have "the special 
 charge of circuits." These may be •' elders, deacons, 
 or preachers." Their duties in their respective " cir- 
 cuits," among other things, are, " to see that the 
 other preachers behave well and want nothings — to 
 renew the tickets for the admission of members into 
 love-feasts quarterly, and regulate the bands, — to meet 
 the stewards and leaders as often as possible, — to ap- 
 point all the leaders, and change them when neces- 
 sary, — to receive, try, and expel members, according 
 to the form of discipline, — to overlook the accounts of 
 all the stewards, — to appoint a person to receive the 
 quarterly collections in the classes," besides taking 
 certain other measures for raising money, — " to en- 
 force vigorously, but calmly, all the rules of the so- 
 ciety, — and to license such persons as he may judge 
 proper, to officiate as exhorters in the church, pro- 
 vided, no person shall be so licensed without the con- 
 sent of the leaders' meeting, or of the class of which 
 he is a member, where no leaders' meeting is held." 
 'pp. 43, 48.) 
 
 From the ministry, thus constituted, there are 
 formed certain clerical organizations. 
 
 1. The General Conference. 
 
 This body meets once in four years, and "is com- 
 posed," at present " of one member for every twenty- 
 one members of each Annual Conference ;" but such 
 " representatives must have been travelling preachers 
 at least four years." 
 
AND METHODISM. 211 
 
 *'The General Conference shall ha.Ye full poivers 
 to make rules and regulations for the Church, under 
 the following limitations, viz. (1.) They shall not re- 
 voke or change the articles of religion, nor establish 
 any new standards or rules of doctrine, contrary to the 
 existing and established standards of doctrine. (2.) 
 They shall not allow of more than one representa- 
 tive for every fourteen members of the Annual Con- 
 ferences, nor less than one for every thirty, and no 
 conference shall be denied the privilege of two dele- 
 gates. (3.) They shall not alter any part or rule ot 
 the government, so as to do away with episcopacy, or 
 destroy the plan of the itinerant general superinten- 
 dency. (4.) They shall not revoke or change the 
 general rules of the United Societies. (5.) They 
 shall not do away the privilege of the ministers of 
 trial by a committee, and of an appeal ; neither shall 
 they do away the privileges of the members of trial 
 before the society, 07^ by a committee, and of an ap- 
 peal.* (6.) They shall not appropriate the product 
 of the Book Concern, or of the Charter Fund, to any 
 other purpose than the benefit of the travelling 
 preachers and their families.^'' But all this is fol- 
 lowed by a provision, by which all these restrictions 
 except the first may be swept away. '' Upon the 
 recommendation of three-fourths of all the members 
 of the several Annual Conferences, who shall be pre- 
 sent and vote on such a recommendation, then a 
 majority of two-thirds of the General Conference shall 
 have power to alter any of the above restrictions ex- 
 cept the first article ;" or the recommendation may 
 
 * The value of this provision will be seen hereafter. 
 
2 1 2 CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 proceed from the General Conference, and be rati- 
 fied by the Annual Conferences, (pp. 20, 22.) Thus, 
 with one single exceptio7i^ the most unlimited fower, 
 is placed in the hands of the itinerant preachers 
 and that one only fixes the creed of the Church un- 
 alterably ;* so that in no case is ajmrticle of jjoicer 
 possessed by the people. 
 
 2. The Annual Conferences. Of these there are 
 at present forty. They are composed of all the trav- 
 elling preachers, who are in full connection, and 
 those who are to be received into full connection. 
 
 Their powers are partly legislative, but are chiefly 
 judicial and executive. Reports are made respecting 
 the state of the church ; they consult respecting its 
 general interests ; and adopt measures for raising sup- 
 plies, and apportioning the avails, (pp. 23-26.) 
 1 3. Quarterly Meeting Conferences. These bodies 
 are partly cleric, and part laic, consisting of all the 
 travelling and local preachers, exhorters, stewards, 
 and class-leaders of the circuit, and 7ione others , 
 except the presiding elder, who shall be present 
 when practicable. The powers of this body are, 
 to hear complaints, to receive and try appeals, to 
 examine the character of exhorters, to license local 
 preachers, to take cognizance of all the local preach* 
 ers, — to recommend suitable candidates for deacons' 
 or elders' orders in the local connection, and /or ad- 
 mission on trial i7i the travelling connection, — to 
 
 * At least such appears to have been the original design. No 
 change may be introduced which shall substitute " rules" or " doc- 
 trines contrary" to the original ones. But who is to decide whether 
 the proposed change is contrary, or otherwise 1 This same Gen- 
 eral Conference." 
 
AND METHODISM. 213 
 
 try, suspend, expel or acquit any local preacher in 
 the circuit or station against whom charges may be 
 brought ; provided that no person shall be licensed 
 to preach without the recommendation of the society 
 of which he is a member, or of a leaders' meeting, 
 nor shall any one be licensed to preach, or recom- 
 mended to the Annual Conference to travel or for or- 
 dination, without being first examined in the quar- 
 terly conference on the subject of doctrine and dis- 
 cipline." (pp. 31, 72, 73.) 
 
 The organizations which include, or are composed 
 exclusively of, lay members, are various. 
 
 1. The Church. The term churchy when used 
 with strictness in this denomination, refers to the 
 whole "connection," — "The Methodist Episcopal 
 Church of the United States of America." This is 
 evident from the habitual use of the phrases " our 
 Church," — " The Church ;" especially when its use is 
 considered in contradistinction from another term, 
 viz. 
 
 2. Society. " A Society includes all the mem- 
 bers of the Church in any particular place."* This 
 definition accords with the language of the '' General 
 Rules." " Each society is divided into smaller com- 
 panies, called classes."! The correctness of this state- 
 ment might be corroborated by any amount of proof. 
 
 3. Classes. These, as just intimated, are a por- 
 tion of a local society united for religious conference, 
 and usually consisting of about twelve persons. 
 
 4. Bands. " Two, three, or four believers, who 
 
 * Polity of Meth. Ep. Church. By David Plumbe, p. 19. 
 t Bookof Dis, p. 81. 
 
 10* 
 
214 CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 have confidence in each other, form a band. In 
 each of these bands, all must be men, or all women ; 
 and all married, or all unmarried." " The design is, 
 that they may confess their faults one to another, 
 and pray one for another." (p. 88.) 
 
 Among the other peculiarities of the system are, 
 
 5. Class Leaders. A class leader receives his ap- 
 pointment from the preacher of the circuit or station. 
 It is his duty to meet his class weekly, or at stated 
 times, and to exercise over them a sort of pastoral 
 supervision. " There is but one condition previous- 
 ly required of those who desire admission into these 
 societies, viz., a desire to flee from the wrath to come, 
 and to be saved from their sins." None are to be 
 received as members of the church, until they have 
 been acceptable members of a class six months, (pp. 
 82, 87.) 
 
 6. Exhorters. They are authorized to hold 
 meetings for exhortation and prayer. 
 
 7. Trustees. These have charge of the church 
 property. According to the Discipline, when a new 
 board is to be appointed, it is done " by the preacher 
 in charge." Whenever a vacancy occurs, he is to 
 nominate a candidate, whose nomination is to be 
 confirmed by the remaining members of the board, 
 (pp. 167, 168, 169, 171.) But by the laws of some of the 
 states, trustees of church property are to be appoint- 
 ed by the people. Under the Methodist Disciphne, 
 however, this is a matter of very little importance, as 
 the simple duty of the trustees is, "to hold the property 
 for the use of the members of the Methodist Episco- 
 pal Church in the U. S. A., and in farther trust, that 
 
AND METHODISM. 215 
 
 they shall at all times, for ever hereafter, permit 
 such preachers belonging to the said church, as shall 
 from time to time be appointed" by the bishop, " to 
 preach and expound God's holy word therein," (p. 
 167,) provided, that if they have advanced money on 
 account of said premises, they are authorized to sell 
 the premises ; the balance, (if any,) however, is to 
 be placed at the disposal of the Annual Conference, 
 to be appropriated by them for the use of the society, 
 (p. 168.) " The trustees are responsible to the quar- 
 terly meeting conference." (p. 171.) 
 
 8. Stewards. The Stewards are a board in every 
 circuit or station, who have charge of moneys col- 
 lected for the support of the ministry, and other pur- 
 poses. Various other official duties are assigned them, 
 rendering their station one of considerable influence 
 and importance. " The Stewards are nominated by 
 the preacher in charge, but the quarterly meeting 
 conference confirms or rejects such nomination ; and 
 to this body the Steioards are accountable f though 
 they are ^^ subject to the bishops, the presiding elder 
 of their district, and the elder, deacon, and travel- 
 ling preachers of their circuits (pp. 171, 172.) 
 
 9. " A circuit is composed of several local socie- 
 ties, scattered over a number of villages or towns, 
 and is under the pastoral care of one, two, or more 
 preachers, one of whom is called the preacher in 
 charge." 
 
 10. '^ A district is composed of a number of cir- 
 cuits and stations, and is under the supervision of a 
 presiding elder."* 
 
 * Polity of M. E. Church, by D. Phimbe, p. 18. 
 
216 CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 But there are other peculiarities of the denomina- 
 tion, equally subordinate to the grand wheel of the 
 system. 
 
 11. It is the design of the system that all the 
 churches shall be held for the use of the denomina- 
 tion^ and of those who are appointed to carry out 
 the principles of Methodism. The form of the " deed 
 of settlement " is designed to give to the preachers 
 who are sent " from time to time " by the bishop, the 
 exclusive control of the church edifice, — or, what is 
 the same thing, of the pulpit. It secures to them, " at 
 all times for ever hereafter^'' the right to occupy it, 
 (p. 167,) and of course to control it. This peculiarity 
 will be noticed more particularly in another chapter. 
 It is alluded to now, as one of the main " wheels " in 
 the system. It would be difficult to estimate, accu- 
 rately, the value of the property thus held at the 
 perpetual control of the clergy. It has been esti- 
 mated by those who are familiar with the system, at 
 five millions of dollars. '' Money is power ^"^ 
 
 12. The "Book Concern." The amount of capi- 
 tal invested in the chief establishment and its branch- 
 es, it is difficult to state. Intelligent Methodists say, 
 they have never known. Reports are presented at 
 some of the Annual Conferences, and also at the Gen- 
 eral Conference ; but these bodies are composed ex- 
 clusively of the clergy, and these reports are given, 
 as we are told, usually, if not always, verbally. 
 
 The reporter of one of the secular papers gave a 
 partial report in 1844. According to that, the net 
 assets of the establishment at New- York were six 
 hundred and forty-six thousand dollars. The amount 
 
^ AND METHODISM. 217 
 
 invested in the various branches was not given : — 
 but, from some comparisons, the amount at Cincinnati 
 must have approached the above. The reporter gave 
 us nothing from the other branches, which are estab- 
 hshed at Charleston, S. C, Pittsburg, Pa., and at 
 Boston, Mass. The principal periodicals are published 
 at New- York ; but there are newspapers published 
 also at Cincinnati, Charleston, Kichmond, Va., Nash- 
 ville, Tenn., Pittsburgh, Pa., and Auburn, N. Y. These 
 establishments must be sources of an immense reve- 
 nue, as they possess almost an exclusive monopoly 
 of subscriptions to periodicals, and of the sale of books, 
 for one-twelfth of the population of the country. An 
 examination of prices will show a vast profit, when 
 compared with the trade generally. One single pe- 
 riodical is supposed to yield " forty thousand dollars 
 a year, net income." The subscription price of their 
 periodicals does not vary greatly from those publish- 
 ed by others ; but as they all are published at a few 
 establishments, the profits must be vastly greater. 
 The control and management of these funds is solely 
 with the travelling preachers. 
 
 The profits, after retaining such a proportion as 
 may be deemed expedient for carrying on operations, 
 are appropriated exclusively for the support of the 
 travelling preachers and their families. 
 
 13. The Chartered Fund. This amounts to about 
 fifty thousand dollars, and the income is applied also, 
 to the support of the travelling preachers and their 
 families. 
 
 What a contrast is here exhibited between the 
 spirit and complexity of this system, and the spirit and 
 
218 CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 simplicity of the Gospel. Many of the peculiarities 
 and agencies here enumerated, might be well enough 
 in themselves, if they were left where the Bible 
 places the affairs of the Church — in the hands of the 
 people. But under this system, every thing — abso- 
 lutely every thing — pertaining to the Church, is 
 placed at the unlimited control of the ministry. 
 Nothing — absolutely nothing — is left to the final 
 action of the people. Even if they are called upon 
 to aid, or consent, in any matter of discipline, or 
 otherwise, the system provides, that if the preacher 
 is not satisfied, the matter shall undergo a review 
 under the direct control of the clergy. Indeed, there 
 is not " a wheel," in all this system of machinery, 
 which is not connected with and dependent on the 
 main wheel, viz., the itinerant clergy. The Scrip- 
 tures make provision for the reception of members to 
 the church, by the brethren. For while the form is 
 not prescribed, the principle is clearly established. 
 The case of the excommunicated person, mentioned 
 by the Apostle, would be decisive, even if no other 
 directions were given. The apostle directs the 
 brethren to restore the penitent offender to church 
 privileges. He does not himself restore him : he 
 does not direct the pastor to restore him. That duty 
 belongs to " the church." But what says the organ 
 of the Methodist Episcopal Church ? " We know 
 nothing of the right of the society to admit mem- 
 bers into Church fellowship ; and the Methodist 
 preacher who concedes that right, betrays his trust, 
 and should be held amenable for delinquency to his 
 brethren." Such a principle " would so alter the re- 
 
AND METHODISM. 
 
 219 
 
 lation between pastor and people, as to subvert our 
 whole economy. The admission and exj^ulsion of 
 church members by a vote of the society^ is as ab- 
 surd in theory^ as it ivould be ruinous iti practiced* 
 ^^ Ruinous ^'^ indeed, that principle would be to Ejns- 
 copal Methodis?n ; but who presumes to pronounce 
 it " absurd ?" It is the very principle which is laid 
 down by our Lord in the ISth of Matt., and by the 
 Spirit of the Lord, in the 5th of 1 Cor. So directly 
 opposed are the Bible and this system on these points. 
 According to Methodism, the duty of discipline com- 
 mences with the preacher, or his agent, the class 
 leader. If the offender is not reclaimed by private 
 effort, he may be brought before the society, or a 
 committee. Says an individual who has been four- 
 teen years a member of the M. E. Church, and six 
 years a travelling preacher, "I never knew one case 
 conducted by the society. * * But how is this com- 
 mittee constituted ? By the sole loill of the preacher 
 in charger\ But whether the trial is before the so- 
 ciety or a committee, if the preacher is dissatisfied 
 with the decision, he may refer the case to the ensu- 
 ing quarterly meeting conference. (Dis. pp. 95, 96.) 
 To say nothing of such a violation of the directions 
 of our Lord, was there ever such a judicial trifling. 
 Nearly every member of the quarterly conference is 
 appointed to that body by the preacher himself^ or 
 holds his seat at the preacher's will ; while not an 
 individual of them is chosen by the accused, or by 
 
 * Ed. Christian Advocate and Journal, Nov. 25, 1840. Quoted 
 in the VVesleyan Companion, Vol. I. No. 2, pp. 116, 117. 
 t Polity of the M. E. Church, by David Plumbe,p. 26. 
 
220 CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 the people. The organization of the quarterly con- 
 ference has already been mentioned. The presiding 
 officer is the preacher himself, or the presiding elder. 
 The class leaders — the most numerous portion of 
 the body — are all appointed by the preacher. The 
 exhorters were selected by the preacher, with the 
 consent of the leaders, whom he has appointed, un- 
 less the class grants the requisite " consent,^^ The 
 stewards were nominated by the preacher, and con- 
 firmed by this body. The local preachers were se- 
 lected by the itinerant preachers, with the consent of 
 the class leaders, and were licensed by this body, 
 (pp. 43, 48, 73, 171.) If the accused feels himself 
 aggrieved by the decision of the committee or society, 
 he may appeal to this conference. And this is the 
 boasted right of tibial before the -people^ and of ap- 
 j)eal ! Is this according to the Bible ? Is it in ac- 
 cordance with justice ? It is Methodism. Where 
 does the Bible give to the ministry the power to set 
 aside the decision of the brethren, and arraign an 
 accused brother before the aristocracy of the church — 
 those who hold their office as judges totally inde- 
 pendent of any action of the people ? That is a 
 power which is possessed by no civil judge in the 
 land. 
 
 Suppose the accused is unjustly condemned ; how 
 is he to obtain redress ? As an illustration, allow me 
 to give a brief history of an actual case. A member 
 of the Methodist Episcopal Church, having failed in 
 business, was charged with dishonesty. A commit- 
 tee was appointed to try the case ; the accused plead- 
 ing not guilty. The evidence was mostly common 
 
AND METHODISM 221 
 
 fame. After spending several evenings, the commit- 
 tee decided " that they believed the accused had acted 
 dishonestly;" though they afterwards all signed a 
 declaration that there was no ^positive evidence to sus- 
 tain the charge. On this evidence, and in view of such 
 a decision, the preacher excommunicated the accused 
 member ; for we must remember that according to this 
 system, it is the prerogative of the preacher, and not 
 of the brethren of the church, to perform this, as well 
 as every other ^ judicial act. The defendant appealed 
 to the quarterly conference at which the presiding 
 elder of the district presided. The conference was 
 directed to decide the case by the minutes of the pre- 
 vious trial. The presiding elder was asked, " whether 
 opinion expressed was a sufficient verdict upon which 
 to expel a member ?" He replied " that the opinion 
 of the brethren, expressed as in the above case, was 
 a sufficient verdict, and was actimUj finding apersoii 
 guilty, according to the Book of Discipline." After 
 some discussion, the former decision was confirmed. 
 As there were those in the Methodist Church who 
 were not prepared to bow their necks quietly to such 
 principles, a petition was presented to the N. Y. Con- 
 ference, requesting information whether this case ex- 
 hibited a correct view of the Book of Discipline. The 
 first year, no answer was returned to the petition. The 
 petitioners pressed the matter more strenuously the 
 next year, Bishops Hedding and Roberts being present. 
 The petition was referred to a committee, who made a 
 report justifying the course which had been pursued. 
 Their report was adopted without discussion. The 
 petitioners requested a copy of the report, but it was 
 
2-22 CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 refused. As a reason for that refusal it was remarked, 
 " We are afraid to trust it in your hands ; you 
 might make a had use of it.'''"' 
 
 This case made no Httle stir at the time ; and what- 
 ever attempts may he made to gloss it over, the ma- 
 terial facls are regarded as unquestionable. Whose 
 character and religious standing are safe, under the 
 operation of such principles ? 
 
 Before retiring from this exhibition of the system 
 of Methodism, let us notice two of its most important 
 features, viz., the adaptation of each of its parts to 
 concentrate all ecclesiastical power in the clergy ; 
 and, what is equally characteristic of the system, the 
 placing of every farthing of its funds in then- hands. 
 Lest my remarks should be regarded as severe or 
 invidious, I will employ the language of Dr. Bangs, 
 
 * " Thoughts on some parts of the Dis. of the M. E. Church, with a 
 statement of some transactions and usages in said Church, by John 
 W. Barber." 
 
 As a further illustration of the subject before us, we instance a case 
 alluded to in the "True Wesleyan" for Oct. 18th, 1845. While a 
 certain appeal to a quarterly conference, was pending, one of the clergy, 
 discovering " that £t majority of the members of the conference differed 
 in opinion from himself, removed a sufficient number of class leaders 
 from office, and placed others in their stead, who he knew had the same 
 view with himself, and thus secured a majority of voles on his side of 
 the question ; and this was perfectly legal." 
 
 And this is the Quarterly Conference which is paraded before us in 
 so many different forms ; that " bndij of laymen," which exercises such 
 a " controlling check " upon the clergy ; which " makes all the preach- 
 ers !" Who can longer doubt, that the religious character and ecclesi 
 astical standing of the people are " sufficiently" guarded, are perfectly 
 safe ; even though they are held, primarily, in the fist of the preacher 
 in charge, while the system allows " the right of appeal" to such a 
 body as this ! 
 
AND METHODISM. 223 
 
 when opposing Protestant Ejnscopac^ ; and he is 
 only commenting on the assumptions of the bishops, 
 as constituting a third '' rank '' in the ministry, in 
 whom is ^' vested " the exclusive " right of orditia- 
 
 " I have said that the assertion of this exchisive 
 right was a usurpation which did 7iot originally 
 belong to them ; that therefore it proved a curse to 
 the church ; that God has frowned upon it, and ex- 
 ercises the awful prerogative of dashing it to jneces, 
 whenever it stands in his way of working." The 
 doctor waxing warm, repeats the assertion, " that 
 the bishops usurped powers which did not belong to 
 them;" and in proof of this, he quotes from the " ac- 
 curate historian, Mosheim." 
 
 " Speaking of these haughty prelates, Mosheim 
 says : — ' Their first step was an entire exclusion of 
 the people from all part in the administration of eccle- 
 siastical affairs, * * * and principally, that they 
 might either engross to themselves, or distribute as 
 they thought proper, the possessions and revenues of 
 the church. Hence it came to pass, that at the con- 
 clusion of this " (fourth) " century, there remained 
 no more than a mere shadow of the ancient govern- 
 ment of the church. Many of the privileges which 
 had formerly belonged to the presbyters and people 
 were usurped by the bishops.' ''* 
 
 Substituting, now, "travelling preachers" for 
 '' bishops," we would ask, what is it that so excites 
 the holy indignation of Dr. Bangs ? Why, the bish- 
 
 * Methodist Episcopacy Vindicated. By Nathan Bangs, D. D. 
 pp. 26, 27. 
 
224 CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 ops of the Protestant Episcopal Church claim " the 
 exclusive right of ordination !" Truly, the pillars of 
 the heavens are shaken ! What sacrilegious " usur- 
 pation !" O, '' the haughty prelates !" 
 
 Let Dr. Bangs " pull the beam out of his own eye, 
 and then shall he see clearly the mote that is in his 
 brother's eye." What matters it to us, that others 
 lay their hands on the heads of our pastors, if we 
 have no voice in their election, — if others may impose 
 them upon us, not only without our consent, but, if 
 they please, even against our expressed dissent 7 
 This "exclusive right of ordinatioyij^ is but "the 
 mint and anise and cummin," in comparison with 
 the other " rights " of freemen in Christ Jesus, — not 
 the mere right of" suhmittii^g to the absolute control " 
 of others, but of ''administering" our own "ecclesi- 
 astical affairs." It is all well enough, when the 
 *' rights " of the people — in respect to the admission, 
 and discipline, and exclusion of members ; in respect 
 to the choice of pastors, and other officers ; in respect 
 to the pfractical ownership of their churches ; in re- 
 spect to every natural and scriptural right belonging 
 to us as men, and as Christians ; — it is all well 
 enough when all these are " usurped by the " clergy ; 
 but " usurp " the least of their " rights," lift up " a 
 little horn " from their midst, speaking more " swell- 
 ing words," — and it is the very " beast," " the dra- 
 gon " of Revelation. So long as it is only " the peo- 
 ple " whose rights, even of representation, and of 
 trial by their equals^ are " usurped," and the whole 
 clergy of the church, assembled in conference, can 
 exclaim, with united voice, "Pardon us if we 
 
» AND METHODISM. 225 
 
 KNOW NO SUCH RIGHTS, IF WE COMPREHEND NO 
 SUCH PRIVILEGES." 
 
 " And principally," quotes Dr. Bangs, " that they 
 might engross to themselves, or distribute as they 
 thought proper, the possessions and revenues of the 
 church." Who engross to themselves, or distribute 
 as they think j)roper^ '• the possessions and reve- 
 nues" of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and the 
 millions vested in church property, and the hundreds 
 of thousands in the Book Concern, and the chartered 
 Fund ? Look at the Book of Discipline, under the 
 head, " Raising Supplies." Every thing, from their 
 '•annual" and "quarterly collections," and their 
 " fifth collection," in class, and society, and congre- 
 gation, down to the accounts of the humblest stew- 
 ard, absolutely every thing is under the supervision 
 and control of the clergy. There seems to us some 
 slight inconsistency in these expressions of regard 
 for the " rights" of the " dear people," and of such 
 holy horror of touching the funds of the church, 
 while both hands are up to the elbows in the people's 
 pockets. 
 
 Look where we may in this system, and what a 
 contrast do we behold with the simplicity of the 
 gospel 7 According to the Scriptures, a minister of 
 the gospel is a mere preacher of the word, and an 
 administrator of Christian ordinances. According to 
 Episcopal Methodism, he is not only an expounder 
 of the gospel, but an authoritative expounder and 
 administrator of ecclesiastical laws. A system of 
 machinery is contrived, with its wheels "within" 
 wheels, embracing every thing, — that " usurps,^^ in 
 
226 CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 the language adopted by Dr. Bangs, " all the rights 
 and 2)rivileges of the peopled Others prescribe to the 
 people their articles of faith, and mark out for them 
 the path of their duty. What room is left for the free 
 exercise of the conscience and the intellect ? The 
 preachers bind themselves, in the most solemn man- 
 ner, to yield to the guidance, not of their ow7i convic- 
 tions, but of others. What rights can such a system 
 leave to the people, where their churches, their pas- 
 tors, the very truth which they are to hear, their 
 publications, their Sabbath-school books, every thing, 
 is yielded up to the control of others ? This system 
 might be labelled, " A system for transferring re- 
 sponsibility from the people to the clergy^ and from, 
 the clergy^ individually^ to the bishops and General 
 Conference.^'' How can a preacher of the everlasting 
 gospel, who takes upon himself such an ordination 
 vow, be prepared to " give account of himself to God?" 
 How can the people be prepared to give account of 
 themselves " as stewards of God," when they have 
 placed millions of their property beyond their control? 
 above all, when they have resigned to others the 
 discipline of the church, and the most solemn per- 
 sonal responsibilities ?" 
 
 These subjects, then, relate, not only to our dear- 
 est rights^ they have a fearful bearing upon our final 
 account, and upon our eternal rewards. 
 
XL 
 
 " And the twelve called the multitude of the disciples unto 
 
 THEMj AND SAID ; ' It IS NOT REASON THAT WE SHOULD LEAVE THE 
 
 WORD OF God and serve tables. Therefore, brethren, looe: ye 
 
 OUT from AMONO you SEVEN MEN, OF HONEST REPORT, FULL OF THE 
 
 Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this busi- 
 ness. But we will give ourselves continually to prayer and 
 to the ministry of the word.' " — Acts 6 : 2-4. 
 
 Who control the use of the Church Edifices .' 
 
 A PRINCIPLE of fundamental importance in the 
 organization of local churches, has been recognized 
 and established by inspired authority, viz., the entire 
 separation of the ministry from the secular affairs 
 of the churches. And the reason is twofold. It is 
 not " reasonable," that those who have been set apart 
 to the all-important work of the ministry, should be 
 cumbered with matters which are entirely out of their 
 appropriate sphere of duty, and which belong, in 
 their very nature, to others ; neither should they be 
 placed, unnecessarily, in circumstances where their 
 reputation and influence may be impaired, either by 
 their own imperfections, or by the unreasonableness 
 or prejudice of others. The secular afiairs of the 
 church belong to the j^eojjle, — the people are respon- 
 sible for the management of them, as truly as they 
 are for the discharge of any other personal duty. As 
 they are to " give account of themselves to God," so 
 
228 CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 they should decide all questions pertaining to these 
 matters. This is the principle inculcated in the quo- 
 tation which is prefixed as the motto of this chapter, 
 and in accordance with which the apostles always 
 acted. The phrase, "whom we may appoint," refers, 
 simply, to the public acknowledgment by the apos- 
 tles, for themselves, and in behalf of the church, of 
 the individuals thus set apart, as the servants of the 
 church. There was, evidently, no authoritative in- 
 terference by the apostles ; for they expressly referred 
 the whole matter to the brotherhood. It is equally 
 evident that no church is, 07i these "points^ Scriptu- 
 rally organized, in which these principles are vio- 
 lated. Whether these principles are followed in the 
 system of Episcopal Methodism, it is easy to judge 
 from our last chapter, in which that system was un- 
 folded. 
 
 Allusion was there made to the manner in Avhich 
 church 'property is held, according to that system. 
 The importance which is attached to this point, by 
 the organs of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and 
 their representations of it, render a more particular 
 examination of it necessary. In Congregational 
 Tract No. I. the writer was led, by his subject, to 
 notice " that system which does not leave eve?i their 
 houses of worship in the hands of the people who 
 erected theinP This remark, with others of similar 
 import from other sources, have called forth expres- 
 sions and epithets, which are not regarded, in some 
 circles, as indicating either the gentleman or the 
 Christian. Misrepresentations of our language, — we 
 do not say intentional, — are spread abroad upon 
 
AND METHODISM. ' 229 
 
 the wings of the Book Concern ; and these are fol- 
 lowed by representations and arguments which are 
 calculated to leave, v/hat we regard as totally false 
 impressions respecting the question at issue. 
 
 What, then, is meant when it is said that the 
 system of Episcopal Methodism does not leave the 
 churches in the hands of the people who erected 
 them 7 
 
 We do not mean, that the " ownership " of the 
 churches is transferred to the " itinerant clergy," in 
 such a sense, as that they may be said to " own" 
 them, as they do their horses, which they may sell, 
 and then purchase others with the avails, or may 
 purchase mules instead, or may put the money in 
 their pockets, and '' travel " on foot. 
 
 But we do mean, that according to " the sys- 
 tem^^^ the churches are erected for the people only 
 as Methodists, and for the interests of Methodism ; 
 that they are so secured, or it is the design of " the 
 system " so to secure them, that " the people^^ even 
 though they remain Episcopal Methodists, cannot 
 control their use as churches ; that if the people 
 .should renounce Episcopal Methodism, they would 
 forfeit all claim to churches so secured, and that, 
 from the first, according to the system, the churches 
 are '' in the hands of Trustees, Avho are 7iot appoint- 
 ed by the people, and who are not accountable to 
 the people ; whose office it is to secure the churches 
 to the interests of Methodism, and for the use of those, 
 as preachers, and those only, who are appointed for 
 that purpose, according to the Book of Discipline. 
 
 This is what we mean ; and that any intelli- 
 11 
 
230 CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 gent Methodist should deny this statement, or any 
 part of it, is marvellous. 
 
 " To the law, and to the testimony." 
 
 1. "What shall be done /or the security oi our 
 preaching-houses, and the premises belonging there- 
 to 7" (Book of Discipline, p. 165.) 
 
 This starting question, of itself, shows the true 
 genius of the system on the point in debate ; viz. that, 
 in this matter, " the Episcopal Methodist connection" 
 is a joint stock concern. These edifices are " our 
 preaching-houses.'' Indeed, if we considered the 
 authorship of the Book of Discipline, we should be 
 led to suppose that the " travelling preachers " laid 
 exclusive claim to these buildings, for those who 
 make that inquiry are all travelling preachers, and 
 they call the '' houses " " our houses.'''' But we are 
 willing to put a liberal construction upon their 
 language. 
 
 In answering the above question, they prescribe 
 " the plan of a deed of settlement," which is to " be 
 brought into effect in all j^ossihle cases, and as far 
 as the latvs of the states respectively will admit 
 of it. But each annual conference is authorized to 
 make such modification in the deeds, as they find 
 the different usages and custoTns of law require 
 in the different states and territories, so as to secure 
 the premises firmly by deed, and permanently 
 TO THE Methodist Episcopal Church, accord- 
 ing to the true intent and meaning of the following 
 form of a deed of settlement ; any thing in the said 
 form to the contrary notwithstanding.^^ (p. 165.) 
 
AND METHODISM. 231 
 
 This language is certainly unequivocal. The 
 design is, to secure the premises, not " io the people 
 who " may have " built" these " preaching-houses," 
 but " to the Methodist Episcopal Church^^ and to 
 secm-e ihem perma?ientl7/, however the builders may 
 change their religious opinions. It is to be noticed, 
 also, that whatever change may be made in this 
 " form " of a deed, to meet the demand of any statute, 
 it is made not for the purpose of securing any rights 
 of the builders, but " so as to secure the premises 
 firmly and permanently to the Methodist Episco- 
 pal Church.^'' 
 
 2. Another argument, confirmatory of our state- 
 ment, may be drawn from the method prescribed for 
 the appointment of Trustees, and from the qualifica- 
 tions which are requisite to render an individual eli- 
 gible to that ofiice. 
 
 '' In all cases when a new board of trustees is to 
 be created, it shall be done (except in those states 
 and territories where the statutes provide differently,) 
 by the appointment of the preacher in charge, or the 
 presiding elder of the district." (p. 171.) 
 
 Who, with that paragraph before him, will pretend 
 that it is the design of " the S3^stem " to leave a 
 shingle, or a 7iail, " in the hands of the people ?" 
 As to the value of the above proviso, we shall see, as 
 we proceed, that it is of 7io ??ianner of consequence, 
 so far as the points in debate are concerned. If, in 
 respect to any thing in disjnite, the least discretion- 
 ary power was reserved in the trustees, which might 
 be exercised for the benefit of the people, in that case, 
 the statutes might, possibly, result in some advan- 
 
232 CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 tage to them. But there is 710 such discretionary 
 power. The only discretioimry power (and respect- 
 ing this there is no debate,) which is reserved to the 
 trustees, is found in the following proviso : 
 
 " If the trustees, or any of them, have advanced, 
 or are responsible for any sum of money," they may, 
 if necessary, sell the said premises, after due notice, 
 and, " after paying the debt, and other expenses, they 
 shall deposit the remainder of the money in the hands 
 of the stewards of the society belonging to, or attend- 
 ing divine service on said premises ; which surplus 
 shall he at the disposal of the next annual confer- 
 ence^ which annual conference shall dispose of the 
 said money, according to the best of their judgment, 
 for the use of the said society." (pp. 168, 169.) 
 
 The judgment and fidelity of these trustees may 
 be of some consequence to the people, in respect to 
 the contracting of debts, and the sale of the premises ; 
 but these things do not affect the points in debate, 
 whether the system leaves the houses of worship 
 in the hands of the peojjle who have erected them. 
 For example : it is of importance to a minoj, to have 
 a wise and faithful guardian ; but however wise or 
 unwise, faithful or unfaithful the guardian may be, 
 or however he may be appointed, it is still true, that 
 the minor's property is " not left in " his own 
 " hands." 
 
 But there is another item in respect to the appoint- 
 ment of trustees. In case of a vacancy or vacancies, 
 " the preacher " in charge, having called a meeting of 
 the remaining trustees, " shall proceed to nominate 
 one or more persons" for the vacant office. " And the 
 
AND METHODISM. 233 
 
 said trustees, so assembled, shall proceed to elect, and 
 by a majority of votes shall appoint the person or 
 persons so nominated, to fill such vacancy or vacan- 
 cies," and, in case of a tie, " the stationed preacher 
 shall have the casting vote." (pp. 167, 168.) 
 
 Thus it appears, that it is the design of '' the sys- 
 tem," that 710 question, affecting their interest in the 
 " said premises," shall ever he brought before the 
 people. 
 
 Allusion was made to certain qualifications for the 
 office of trustee, as indicating the design of " the 
 system " on the points in debate. " No person shall 
 be eligible as a trustee to any of our houses, church- 
 es, or schools, who is not a regular member of our 
 church." (p. 164.) " As often as one or more of the 
 trustees * * shall die, or cease to he a member of 
 the said church, according to the rules and disci- 
 pline aforesaid,^^ the office is pronounced vacant, 
 and is to be filled by a new election, as above de- 
 scribed, (p. 167.) *' Provided the person or persons 
 nominated (by the preacher,) shall have been one 
 year a member or members of the said church im- 
 mediately preceding such nomination." (p. 168.) 
 Thus it appears that " the system" is as inexorable 
 as death, in excluding all those from its privileges 
 who renounce its " discipline, by ceasing to be mem- 
 bers of the said church." 
 
 3. We sustain our statement from the duties which 
 '' the system " prescribes to these trustees. 
 
 " That they" (the trustees) " shall erect * * a house 
 or place of worship, for the use of the members 
 of the Methodist Episcopal Church in the United 
 
234 CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 States of A^nerica^ according to the rules and dis- 
 cipline which from time to time may be agreed upon, 
 and adopted by the ministers and preachers of the 
 said chm'ch, at their General Conferences in the Uni- 
 ted States of America ; and in farther trust and con- 
 fidence, that they shall at all times, forever hereaf- 
 ter ^ permit such m/i7iisters and preachers belo7iging 
 to the said church, as shall from time to time be 
 duly authorized hy the General Conferences of 
 the ministers and preachers of the said Methodist 
 Episcopal Church, or by the annual conferences, au- 
 thorized by the said General Conference, to preach 
 and expound God's holy word therein/'* (pp. 166, 
 167.) 
 
 Here are three particulars, all coinciding to show 
 the design of the system. 1st. The house is "for 
 the use of the members of the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church in the United States of America." Thus it ap- 
 pears that those " who erected " the house of worship, 
 are to enjoy '' the use " of " the premises " only on 
 the supposition that they are members of the above 
 church ; or at least, whether technically members or 
 not, none are to worship there in the character, or 
 under the name, of any other denomination. 2dly. 
 They are to be governed by, and worship according 
 to the rules and discipline of the above church. 
 3dly. " The preachers of the said church " are to 
 have a iierpetual and unlimited ^^use^^ of "the 
 house," in the discharge of the duties of their office. 
 
 * This is an extract from "the form of the deed" by which the 
 trustees liold " the premises" upon which they are " to erect the 
 house of worship." 
 
AND METHODISM. ^35 
 
 How the perversion of premises, thus held, to any 
 other purposes, is consistent with all this, or any part 
 of it. it is difficult to conceive. If church property 
 c«7i he held^ " permanently," in any way whatever, 
 so as effectually to secure the original design, we 
 would ask how that method would differ from " the 
 form " here prescribed ? If law is of any avail, and 
 possesses any thing of definiteness, for the purpose 
 of securing property vested in churches, then it 
 would be difficult to conceive how property held as 
 above, is subject to the caprice or the religious changes 
 of subsequent generations. But however this may 
 be, the designs of the contracting parties are une- 
 quivocally expressed ; and if they are, eventually, 
 disappointed, then the only question which can be 
 raised, hereafter, respecting the ownership of church 
 property will be, " Who has j)ossession V A deed 
 can possess no value whatever. 
 
 It appears, also, that so far as the question of the 
 right of occupancy of the churches is concernedj 
 either in respect to the preacher, or the people, no 
 discretionary power is vested in the trustees; so 
 that the mode of their appointment is, in these re- 
 spects, of 710 consequence whatever. They are 
 hedged in, not by the opinions of the people, but hy 
 the stronger authority of statute law. How, then, 
 are churches, thus held, " left in the hands of the 
 people who erected them 'P 
 
 4. The design of " the system " is farther evident 
 from another fact, which has already been intimated, 
 viz., that if churches are sold, the avails are not left 
 at the control of the people, to be used by themselves, 
 
236 CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 as they think proper, or not used at all; but the 
 " surplus," after the payment of debts and expenses^ 
 shall be deposited in the hands of the steward, or 
 stewards, to be held by them at the disposal of the 
 annual conference, " which said conference shall dis- 
 pose of the money, according the best of their judg- 
 ment, for the use of the said society." (pp. 168, 169.) 
 We have been accustomed to suppose, that men, 
 who could not dispose of property for their own use, 
 according to their own "judgment," did not regard 
 that property as being in their own hands. 
 
 5. Another fact tending also to the same conclu- 
 sion, is worthy of particular notice, viz., that the 
 trustees are "responsible," not to the 'people^ but '-to 
 the quarterly meeting conference of the circuit or 
 station," where the premises are located, to which 
 they are required to make a yearly report, (pp. 170, 
 171.) Now, when we recollect that not a single 
 member of that conference holds his seat depen- 
 dently upon the people, we see that it is the design 
 of this " system" to cut off the last hold of the peo- 
 ple from their houses of worship. 
 
 6. We have the arguments of Episcopal Meth- 
 odists themselves confirming our statement. 
 
 A certain preacher, reviewing this statement from 
 the pulpit, as found in Congregational Tract No. I, 
 and waxing warm in his praises of Episcopal Meth- 
 odism, forgot, apparently, the point at which he was 
 aiming, and with characteristic modesty, congratu- 
 lated his hearers that their " system" did not leave 
 their churches to the caprices of the people^ but pre- 
 served them safe from the possibility of change, by 
 
i^' 
 
 AND METHODISM. 237 
 
 placing them " in the hands" of a few wise and good 
 men, (himself, of course, being of that number.) In 
 order to secure a permanent impression upon his 
 audience, he contrasted the system of Methodism 
 with that of the Puritans ; and here he became 
 pathetic, while his imagination portrayed the feelings 
 of the departed Puritans, as they looked down upon 
 churches which they had dedicated to the Trinity, 
 now perverted from their original purposes. 
 
 We leave others to judge of the bearing of his 
 argument upon the question, whether that " system 
 leaves the churches in the hands of those who erected 
 them?" 
 
 But lest some should set this testimony aside, as 
 being merely the opinion of an individual, we will 
 exhibit an argument which is endorsed by the Gen- 
 eral Conference, through their agents at the Book 
 Concern. " In respect to our free houses,'^ (and most 
 of them are free,) '-investments of property in them 
 were voluntary benefactions, by w^hich the do- 
 nors ACQ.UIRED no PROPERTY in suchfree churches. 
 They were erected for any and all who choose to use 
 them," (i. e., who choose to use them according to 
 ^' the terms of their erection,") '-' and if they are se- 
 cured by the terms of their erection to the doctrines 
 and usages of Methodism, this, also, must have 
 been the voluntary act," (or must have been done 
 with the implied consent,) "of the donors. The 
 original design being fulfilled, no complaint can be 
 just, on the part of those who may choose, after such 
 charities, to leave the cause to which they were 
 given. It should be remembered also, that many 
 11* 
 
238 CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 who are dead, and many who are not members of 
 the church, have contributed to such free houses, on 
 the same terms, and for the same beneficent purpose. 
 Has a man a right to reclaim a charity^ which, by 
 being blended with that of others, dead and aUve, 
 
 CANNOT BE RETURNED WITHOUT FRUSTRATING AN 
 
 OBJECT of lyuhlic beneficence 7 and that, too, when 
 
 THE ORIGINAL TERMS OF THE GRANT ARE FULLY 
 
 ADHERED TO? SucJi a claim, it is clear, by de- 
 stroying all grounds of the j)Grmanency of charita- 
 ble bequests, would soon suppress all similar liber- 
 ality. Such a claim is no more admissible in this 
 case, than in any other benevolent founda- 
 tion."* 
 
 The whole of this argument hinges on this point, 
 viz., if the premises have been secured according to 
 the Book of Discipline, they are secured, not to the 
 " donors^'^ by whose " benefactions" the churches 
 were erected, but to " the doctrines and usages of 
 MethodismP " Such investments were voluntary 
 benefactions, by which the donors acquired no 
 property in such free churches." 
 
 This, we must remember, is spoken '^ by author- 
 ity." It exhibits the design of " the systejn,^^ its 
 authors being judges. It proves that "^Ae sys- 
 tem does not leave the churches in the hands of 
 those who erected themP 
 
 7. But the above argument is not a mere expres- 
 sion of opinion ; it is an operative law of "the sys- 
 tem," a law which has been enforced (how success- 
 fully we cannot say) by repeated suits instituted for 
 
 * Tract for the Times, No. 2, Gov. of M. E. Church, p. 5. 
 
AND METHODISM. 339 
 
 the purpose of recovering church property which se- 
 ceders from the Methodist Episcopal Church endea- 
 vored to retain in their possession, on the ground that 
 they had purchased the premises, and erected the 
 buildings. '^ No !" — the officers of that church reply, 
 — " Our free houses are secured^ hy the terms of 
 their erection^ to the doctrines and usages of Meth- 
 odismP Your subscriptions were not " investments ; 
 they were voluntary benefactions^ by which the do- 
 nors acquired no jjrojjerty in such free churches."* 
 But it is attempted to break the force of all these 
 arguments by a play upon the name of the churchy 
 as given in the "form of a deed of settlement." 
 This attempt may be thought too ridiculous to be 
 noticed; but as it is formally and pompously paraded 
 by those who are interested to keep the people quiet, 
 
 * It is not certain that seceders from the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church will retain possession of " their houses of worship," or escape 
 vexatious and expensive law-suits, even though their churches have 
 not been " secured to the doctrines and usages of Methodism," " accord- 
 ing to the plan of the deed of settlement." The very best of authority 
 has made the statemicnt in a public paper, that a suit has been recently 
 instituted for the recovery of a church, under the following circum- 
 stances : 
 
 A stone chapel had been erected by a Methodist Episcopal So- 
 ciety ; but BEFORE it was "secured to the doctrines and usages of 
 Methodism" according to the principles prescribed in the Book of Dis- 
 cipline, a very large majority of the society, participating in the disaf- 
 fection which is now agitating the Methodist Episcopal Church, 
 seceded, and joined the Wesleyan Methodist Connection, retaining 
 possession of their house of worship. The seceders had been at the 
 entire expense of purchasing the premises, and erecting the building, 
 with the exception of about eighty dollars ; and this sum they offered 
 to repay, both principal and interest. " No !" says the presiding elder, 
 
 " WE WILL HAVE THE WHOLE OF IT." 
 
240 CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 it is necessary to notice it, as one of the shifts to which 
 they are compelled to resort. 
 
 It is said "that the words ' Methodist Episcopal 
 Church in the United States of America,' as used in 
 the deeds by which Methodist Churches are held, 
 according to the book, merely indicate the name of 
 the religious society for which the premises are 
 held." 
 
 Let us examine this barefaced assertion. " Ac- 
 cording to the rules and discipline which from time 
 to time may be agreed upon and adopted by the m,in- 
 isters and jpreachers of the said churchy at their 
 General Conferences in the United States of Ameri- 
 ca," &c. Of the said church. What church! 
 " Why. the society,^^ (say these interpreters), "/or 
 whose jmrticidar use the house of worship, which 
 is indicated in the deed, was erected." 
 
 The preachers who assemble in " General Con- 
 ference," then, are " the ministers or preachers of" 
 this particular^ local society ! " According to the 
 rules and discipline which may be adopted by the 
 ministers and preachers of the said " local society, 
 " at their General Conferences !" " And in farther 
 trust that they" (the trustees) " shall at all times for 
 ever hereafter permit such ministers and preachers 
 belonging to the said " local society (!) " as shall 
 from time to time be duly authorized by the General 
 Conferences of the ministers and preachers of tJie 
 said " local society (!) " to preach and expound God's 
 holy word therein." If this looks like the most ar- 
 rant trifling, it is not our fault. 
 
 But " the form of the deed," itself, as given in 
 
AND METHODISM. 241 
 
 the Book of Disciplinej shows the inconsistency of 
 the abo\re interpretation, in another way. The local 
 " society " is referred to, iji contradistinction from 
 " the Methodist Episcopal Church in the United 
 States of America." The directions respecting the 
 use of the money produced by the sale of any 
 church, require it to be placed " in the hands of the 
 steward or stewards of the society belonging to, or 
 attending divine service on said 'premises.''^ Here 
 '^ the society " is indicated under its appropriate 
 name ; and not as " the Methodist Episcopal Church 
 in the United States of America !" But this subter- 
 fuge is too barefaced and contemptible to require 
 farther notice. 
 
 Nothing is more evident, then, than that it was 
 the design of the framers of the system of Episcopal 
 Methodism, to place^the houses of worship of that 
 denomination at the control of the clergy, and to se- 
 cure them there "/o/- ever:^ The tongue of man or 
 angel could not be more explicit. The very nature 
 of the itinerancy^ — that grand peculiarity of the sys- 
 tem, — requires this corresponding principle. " The 
 absolute power " of sending the preachers wherever 
 expediency may require, would be nugatory, if the 
 churches which they are to occupy may, at any 
 time, be shut against them. " This absohite pow- 
 er," alone, would be of less practical value than 
 Franklin's odd half of a pair of scissors ; but put 
 these two powers together, and they tvill cnt. This 
 provision is the crowning act, which places every 
 thing, in effect, in the hands of the clergy : they are 
 firmly fixed in their seats, with the reins in their 
 grasp. 
 
242 CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 It may be inquired, why the hege subjects of this 
 system are found, at times, claiming '■^that their 
 churches are left in the hands of those who erected 
 them^^ — thus " blowing both hot and cold." 
 
 It is because the people, in our degenerate times, 
 when these " steepled idols " find unaccustomed 
 worshippers — the more zealous because unaccus- 
 tomed, in this respect — are not passive at the inti- 
 mation, that the control of their churches, which 
 have been erected by such unusual efforts, is really 
 " vested " in others. Or, to express the fact in their 
 own language, " the people would not be so ready to 
 contribute their money " to erect churches purely as 
 " voluntary benefactions," 
 
 But it is asserted, that the statutes of some of the 
 states secure to societies the possession of their 
 churches ; particularly by securing to them the right 
 of electing their own trustees. Now, if this assertion 
 were in accordance with fact^ no thanks would be 
 due to '• the system.^^ Indeed, this plea is, of itself, 
 an admission^ that " the system does not leave the 
 churches in the hands of those who erected them." 
 It comes to this ; those who erect Methodist Episco- 
 pal churches, must plead, in order to retain them 
 " in their own hands," that one of the peculiar fea- 
 tures, — one of the fundamental principles of their 
 " system," is not " tolerated " by the laws of some 
 " of the states and territories." 
 
 It is, indeed, most certain that the statutes of this 
 state are designed to secure the churches in the 
 hands of the people, if they avail themselves of the 
 appropriate means, and unless they renounce the 
 
AND METHODISM. 243 
 
 protection of the law by some act of their own ; but 
 how any thing can avail those whose churches 
 have been " secured to the doctrines and usages of 
 Methodism^^ it is not easy to perceive. We have 
 heard, indeed, of " the glorious uncertainty of the 
 law.'' But the framers of our Constitution were, 
 probably, most of them, plain Congregationalists, 
 accustomed to think it a privilege to manage their 
 own ecclesiastical afiairs in their own way. They, 
 probably, had never been permitted to thank God for 
 the enlarged liberty of Episcopal Methodism. At 
 any rate, none will pretend that the statutes of this 
 state were designed to coerce men into any particu- 
 lar form or system of church government, or to of- 
 fer the least interference with any system ; or to 
 throw its arm of protection over those who, for any 
 cause, were disposed to interfere with the action of 
 any system, which is compatible with " the peace 
 and safety of the state." The third section of the 
 '• Declaration of Rights," prefixed to the constitution 
 of this state, places this matter, it would seem, be- 
 yond cavil. 
 
 " Sect. 3. The exercise and enjoyment of reli- 
 gious profession and worship, without discrimina- 
 tion, shall for ever be free to all persons in this state ; 
 provided, that the right hereby declared and estab- 
 lished shall not be so construed as to excuse acts of 
 licentiousness, or to justify practices inconsistent with 
 the peace and safety of the state." 
 
 Now, is it to be admitted, that the system con- 
 tained in the Book of DiscipUne of the Methodist 
 Episcopal Church, comes within the above proviso ? 
 
244 CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 Or is it permitted to every other denomination to 
 adopt whatever system they please, untrammelled in 
 respect to any of its features, while the '' poor, per- 
 secuted Methodist " beholds the grand peculiarity of 
 his favorite system struck down by the strong arm 
 of statute law? Is it so, that our legislator's have 
 drawn their pen across six jiages of the Book of 
 Discipline of the Methodist Episcopal Church of 
 the United States of America 7 Have the days of 
 the Inquisition returned ? or, more terrible still, have 
 the " Blue Laws of Connecticut " been revived, in 
 the nineteenth century, with the addition of the In- 
 dex Expurgatorius of Popery ? Alas, that the dying 
 Methodist should find his "liberality suppressed," 
 because " all grounds of the permanent security of 
 charitable bequests " for " the erection of churches, 
 which he ivishes to secure •' to the doctrines and 
 usages of Methodism," " are destroijed.^'' Is that 
 statute law in Connecticut 7 It cannot be. What- 
 ever privileges the system of Methodism confers, ev- 
 ery man has a right to enjoy. Whatever disabilities 
 that system imposes, every man has an equal right 
 to suffer. If men please to place themselves under 
 the irresponsible ecclesiastical control of others, or 
 if they please to " secure " their property, or any part 
 of it, "^0 the doctrines and usages of Methodism^"* 
 shall the laws' interfere with these natural rights? 
 May not the good people of this state bow their 
 necks to any yoke ecclesiastical they please, of wood, 
 or of iron ; or adopt any name they please — Issa- 
 cher^ if they like it — and how down between their 
 burdens 7 And will not the " Declaration of Rights" 
 
AND METHODISM. 345 
 
 sustain them in this, any statute " to the contrary 
 notrcithstancUng ?" Is it so, that church property 
 cannot be '' secxued firmly by deed, and jjennanent- 
 ly, to the Methodist Episcopal Church of the United 
 States of America, according to the true intent and 
 meaning " of the Book of Discipline, of the said 
 church V 
 
 K 
 
XII. 
 
 " Jesus said, ' ye enow that the princes of the Gentiles exer- 
 cise DOMINION OVER THEM, AND THEY THAT ARE GREAT EXERCISE AUTHOR- 
 ITY UPON THEM. But IT SHALL NOT BE SO AMONG YOU.' "■ — Matth. 20 I 
 
 25, 26. 
 
 Powers of the Bishops— Springfield District — Lowell Case — " Checks" upon the 
 Bishops. 
 
 The history of the world has been httle else 
 than the history of Ambition. And this remark is 
 scarcely less true of the history of the Churchy than 
 of the history of nations. With a few bright ex- 
 ceptions, " princes," ecclesiastical as well as politi- 
 cal, '' have exercised dominion" over the people^ 
 Kings have claimed this ''authority" by "divine 
 right." But they are not alone in urging this claim. 
 There are ministers of the Gospel, who would share 
 it in common with kings. This is their language. 
 " Our commission is, * * to enforce the moral disci- 
 2Jline, established by the one lawgiver, hi/ those 
 spiritual powers vested in us.'*'* 
 
 This assumption is the corner stone in the sys- 
 tem of Episcopal Methodism. We have examined, 
 with some particularity, the complicated machinery 
 of that system. We have noticed how eyery thing 
 
 * Gov. of Meth. Ep. Ch. p. 10. Quoted from the Report of Gen. 
 Con. 1828. 
 
CONGREGATIONALISM, ETC. 247 
 
 is made to play into the hands of the clergy ; how 
 their power is guarded at every point, against all 
 encroachment of the people ; and how that power is 
 secured^ by associating '• the 'purse^^ with " the 
 swordJ^ 
 
 But om- examination has, thus far, been made 
 while the machinery was at rest. Our conceptions 
 must necessarily be imperfect, unless the " wheels*' are 
 seen in motion. I call attention, now, to one of the 
 main wheels of the system ; or, dropping the figure, 
 and adopting language synonymous with that in the 
 motto of this chapter, we will examine some of the 
 "prerogatives" which are '-vested" in the chief of 
 these ecclesiastical " princes," in their practical oper- 
 ation. 
 
 The elements of Episcopal Methodism in this 
 country, were all furnished when Dr. Coke had re- 
 ceived his appointment, or, as it is commonly called 
 his ordination, from the hands of Mr. Wesley, aided 
 by two or three of his friends, who were all presby- 
 ters of the Church of England. Charles Wesley 
 saw that this act was the establishment of a Metho- 
 dist Episcopal Church in America, — constituting an 
 entire separation from the Church of England, — and 
 that Dr. Coke was, infact^ a bishop. On the modern 
 Episcopal theory, he was not, indeed a bishop ; and 
 neither he, or his brethren in office, are acknowledged 
 as bishops by those whose special glory it is, that 
 they can trace their pedigree through a parentage* 
 to which loe claim no relationship. As that chain of 
 honorable ancestry is thus again broken, our Metho- 
 
 * Rev. 17: 1,5. 
 
248 CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 dist brethren are driven to the necessity of spHtting 
 hairs upon the difference between the terms bishop.^ 
 and superintendent. The word translated " bishop" 
 means, hterally, an overseer ; and what is a superin- 
 tendent but an overseer 7 They contend that bish- 
 ops are of the same rank with elders^ or presbyters, 
 and that the distinction consists in their o^ce5. But 
 this looks to us very much like a distinction without 
 a difference ; for so long as their bishops are, infact^ 
 a grade above their elders, receiving an additional 
 ordination, with even more of ceremony than that of 
 elders, taking precedence of them, and directing them 
 in all their official duties, all this belaboring of Pro- 
 testant Episcopacy seems to us a mere beating of 
 the air, or a wielding of blows which only rebound 
 upon themselves. 
 
 We are told that the title of bishop was not used 
 in the Methodist Church until about three years 
 after the ordination of Dr. Coke ; and when, at 
 length, that title was assumed, it called forth strong 
 opposition, from Mr. Wesley as well as from others. 
 Mr. Wesley's feelings were greatly aroused. Writ- 
 ing to Francis Asbury he says, '•^How can you. how 
 dare you be called a bishop ? I shudder at the 
 very thought. Men may call me a knave or afool^ 
 a rascal^ a scoundrel^ and I am content ; but they 
 shall never, with viy consent, call me bishop. For 
 my sake, for God's sake, for Chrisfs sake, j)^(-t an 
 end to this.^^ 
 
 We can discover no adequate cause for all this 
 warmth. The difference between them was a very 
 unimportant one, merely a matter of order, viz. 
 
AND METHODISM. 249 
 
 whether the presence of a bishop should be insisted 
 on at ordinations whenever it was possible for one 
 to be present? Powers of unspeakably greater 
 practical importance, had been claimed and exercised 
 by Mr. Wesley, and communicated by him, through 
 Dr. Coke, to Mr. Asbury. 
 
 But both the name and the thing were fully es- 
 tablished. Says the Book of Disciphne, " Mr. Wes- 
 ley having determined to ordain ministers for Amer- 
 ica, preferring the episcopal mode of Church gov- 
 ernment, he solemnly set apart, by the imposition of 
 his hands and prayer, one of them, viz., Thomas 
 Coke, doctor of civil law, late of Oxford, and a pres- 
 byter of the Church of England, for the episcopal 
 office ; and, having delivered to him letters of epis- 
 copal orders, commissioned and directed him to set 
 apart Francis Asbury, then General Assistant of the 
 Methodist Society in America, for the same episcopal 
 office ; he, the said Francis Asbury, being ordained 
 deacon and elder. In consequence of which, the said 
 Francis Asbury was solemnly set apart for the said 
 episcopal office by prayer and the imposition of the 
 hands of the said Thomas Coke, other regularly or- 
 dained ministers assisting in the sacred ceremony. 
 At which time the General Conference held at Balti- 
 more, did unanimously receive the said Thomas 
 Coke and Francis Asbury as their bishops, being 
 fully satisfied of the validity of their episcopal ordi- 
 nation."* 
 
 This extract would lead us to suppose, that the 
 General Conference regarded themselves as carrying 
 
 * Book of Dis. pp. 7,8. 
 
250 CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 out the wishes and " directions " of Mr. Wesley. 
 Their use of the term bishops appears perfectly na- 
 tural, notwithstanding Mr. Wesley's burning denun- 
 ciation of it. It is no part of our duty to reconcile 
 this discrepancy. But these bishops have shown 
 themselves to be ^^ every inch^^ bishops, whose weight 
 both the inferior clergy and the people have often 
 been made to feel. 
 
 If one were to judge of the powers and preroga- 
 tives of these bishops, by the writings of their advo- 
 cates and apologists, he would conclude, in his sim- 
 plicity, that a Methodist bishop was almost as desti- 
 tute of authority as a Congregational pastor, only 
 possessing a more extensive pastoral charge ; while 
 the fact is, thej^e is not another individual in all 
 Protestant Christendom, loho is clothed with such 
 ecclesiastical jiower. 
 
 1. The bishops of the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church have the absolute poicer of determining the 
 appointments of the whole travelling ministry. Nei- 
 ther the preachers nor the people may interfere with 
 this right in any way whatever, except by petitiofi. 
 To say nothing of the families of these preachers, 
 the bishops have at their " absolute control ''* a body 
 of men one-half as numerous as the standing army 
 of the United States, whom they may march to any 
 part of the land they please, and whenever they 
 please. 
 
 The attempt is made to gloss over the odiousness 
 of this feature of the system, by the assertion, that as 
 the bishop is appointed by the itinerants, and is liable 
 
 * Dr. Bond. 
 
AND METHODISM. 25 1 
 
 to be brought to trial before them, they hold " a check" 
 upon him. 
 
 What does this check amomit to ? The bishop 
 was chosen to his office/o?^ the very j^urpose^ among 
 others, of allotting their destiny. This their consti- 
 tution prescribes ; they themselves admit it. They 
 even boast it as the strength and glory of their sys- 
 tem. It is the ground of a specific claim of superi- 
 ority over the Wesleyan Methodist system, which 
 prescribes a different mode of stationing their preach- 
 ers. How, then, is a charge of arbitrariness in the 
 exercise of this stationary power to be substantiated, 
 when the system itself makes it the duty of the bish- 
 op to exercise his own judgment in this matter, and 
 his own judgment only 7 He may, of course, seek 
 information, and even advice ; but the responsibiUty 
 of the decision rests on his own shouklers. We may 
 safely assert that there is not a charge, except, per- 
 haps, the charge of immorahty, which would sooner 
 hurl a bishop from his episcopal throne, than that 
 he did not, as bishop, determine the location of the 
 travelling clergy. So far from his being influenced 
 improperly by them, the very reverse must be the 
 truth. If the argument of the apologists of this sys- 
 tem is good for any thing, viz., that one of the par- 
 ties will be rendered subservient to the other, then 
 the " travelling deacons and elders " are the ones to 
 be rendered truckling, trimming time-servers. 
 
 We are not left to mere infereiice on this subject ; 
 we are suppHed with practical illustrations. It is 
 well known that the Methodist Episcopal Church 
 has been violently agitated by internal dissensions. 
 
25^ CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 I shall not occupy time by multiplying cases ; but 
 shall only give enough to illustrate the system. And 
 lest the statements, when clothed in my language, 
 should be regarded as distorted or discolored by im- 
 proper considerations, I will give the publicly record- 
 ed testimony of Rev. J. D. Bridge, of the New Eng- 
 land Conference. 
 
 " Another strange thing to be recorded in all our 
 periodicals, is the cause of the Springfield District 
 Controversy. And what is it ? Ecclesiastical domi- 
 nation, — an unwarrantable exercise of episcopal and 
 clerical power. Had almost any other man beside 
 the incumbent now on that district, been appointed 
 supervisor of its interests," (Mr. B. refers to a presid- 
 ing elder,) " the painful breaches of confidence and 
 fellowship would not have been realized, at least to 
 such an extent as we now behold them. There are 
 some points to which we should pay special atten- 
 tion. 1. The bishop had good reason for apprehend- 
 ing that Mr. Dorchester would not he acceptable 
 to a large portion of the brethren of this district, 
 when he first appointed him to be its spiritual head. 
 2. It is known ^hdX in the town of Springfield, when 
 the news arrived that Mr. D. was appointed successor 
 of Mr. Joseph A. Merrill, both Abolitionists and Anti- 
 Abolitionists were roused and filled with feelings of 
 regret and disappointment. 3. Mr. D., in those quar- 
 terly meeting conferences where Anti-Slavery reso- 
 lutions were introduced, did go to the utmost limit 
 of his power, in his endeavors to crush the subject. 
 He trampled upon the feelings and consciences 
 
AND METHODISM. 253 
 
 aud RIGHTS of his brethren.* 4. This course roused 
 the dormant energies of all the freemen in the dis- 
 trict, and they determined never again to submit to 
 such tyranny and dictation, 5. But at the next " 
 (Annual?) ''Conference, this presiding elder was 
 FULLY SUSTAINED by the 'prime ministers' of our 
 church, and sent back to stretch the rod of oppression 
 another year over the fair fields and churches of 
 Springfield District ! 6. It has been said that Mr. 
 D. resisted this appointment, as far as it is consistent 
 for a man to do, who has vowed ' reverently to obey 
 the godly advice ' of his ' seniors in office ;' but still, 
 these ' reverend seniors in office' knew better than 
 the people on Springfield District, what kind of a 
 presiding elder they needed ; and so they decided that 
 Mr. D. must must go back ; — and to make his berth 
 more comfortable, some of the more unmanageable 
 of the preachers on the district -were removed, that 
 they might not so easily annoy ihe bishop's vicege- 
 rent in the exercise of his official power." 
 
 " Here I pause, and ask. Is this Methodism ? 
 If it is, good Lord deliver me from it. Such powers 
 as our bishops are now exercising, never ought to be 
 invested in the hands of any man, or body of men • 
 for power depraves the heart, blunts the conscience, 
 darkens the understanding, freezes the philanthropy 
 of the soul, and converts its possessor into an unfeel- 
 ing tyrant ! Will an Abolition preacher and people 
 
 * We are thus furnished, incidentally, with an illustration of the 
 power which can be brought to bear upon the Quarterly Meeting 
 Conferences, which are posted in the forefront of the boasted guards 
 of the rights of the people. 
 
 12 
 
254 CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 submit to such dominion as is claimed by bishops 
 and presiding elders 1 Never ; unless we mean to 
 be slaves outright." 
 
 " But, I may be answered, ' It is Methodism.^ 
 So much the worse ; for if this is the case, Methodism 
 has deceived us until now, but she can deceive us no 
 longer. The slumbers of bigotry and attachment to 
 church polity are broken ; and some, at least, will 
 henceforth stand disenthralled. For one, I am fully 
 determined never to submit to the present exposition 
 of the Methodist economy. When I do, may my 
 right hand forget her cunning. Ecclesiastical thun- 
 der falls terrorless on my ears." 
 
 '• In view of the astonishing powers which have 
 been exercised, is it not high time that the funda- 
 mental principles of our church government were 
 fully discussed ?" (Amen !) " Why should we fear- 
 to do ii 7 * "^ * Let our lay brethren come out 
 boldly, and assert their rights, and discuss them, 
 proclaim them, and defend them. * * Persecution 
 we shall have, it is true, but what of that ? Martyr- 
 dom were better than slavery.'''* 
 
 This is not mere theory ; it is actual life, practi- 
 
 * Wesleyan Companion, Vol. I. No. 2, pp. 125-128. And yet 
 this same man was induced, by "a more comfortable barlh" or by 
 « ecclesiastical thunder," or by something else, " to eat his own words " 
 of ti-uth, and of defiance, and to wear, passively, the chains which his 
 own experience led him to denominate the chains of" slavery" 
 
 But what led Mr. Bridge so certainly to expect " persecution 1" 
 And what was there to be feared, " under the broad shelter of a free 
 civil system ?" Even if we do not discover answers to these questions, 
 as we proceed, we should not be in haste to accuse Mr. B. of bearing 
 false witness against a system, with the spirit and operation of which 
 he at least had an opportunity of becoming acquainted. 
 
AND METHODISM. 255 
 
 cally demonstrating the true nature of the system; 
 and it matters not what may have been the cause 
 which produced such developments. The power of 
 the Russian autocrat is the same, v/hatev'er may call 
 it into exercise. The power which can thus be called 
 into exercise to "crush" "abolition," is equally ef- 
 ficient when directed against any other object. And 
 we may here see the value of this boasted " check" 
 upon the exercise of episcopal power ; for the bishop, 
 it seems, had " good reason" to apprehend dissatis- 
 faction on the part both of the clergy and the people, 
 from the appointment of a particular individual ; but 
 that was no efficient "check" upon his "absolute 
 power." These feelings of dissatisfaction arose to 
 remonstrances, and to open opposition, and yet the 
 same individual was reappointed, while those who 
 would not peaceably submit, were transferred to some 
 other field of labor ; as refractory slaves are sold to 
 a southern market. This is not to be regarded as an 
 isolated case, or as an unauthorized assumption of 
 power, which will not be tolerated under that sys- 
 tem. It is openly avowed to the world, by at least 
 one bishop,* as the final resort for curing troubles in 
 the Methodist Episcopal Church. One almost im- 
 agines himself carried back 2500 years, to the time 
 when Nebuchadnezzar, in true eastern despot 
 style, in order to root out the spirit of rebellion, 
 transported those whom he saw fit to foreign lands, 
 and filled their places with others. Or Ave may see 
 the same principle practiced by the Emperor Nicho- 
 las, banishing refractory Poles to Siberia. What 
 
 * Wesleyan Companion, Vol. I. No. 2, pp. 61, 62. 
 
256 CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 should hinder these men from making a Botany Bay 
 of Oregon, or Texas, to curb refractory spirits'? 
 And this is that " check" bridle with which the infe- 
 rior clergy curb the bishop ! Our Puritan eyes can 
 discover nothing but the bishop's spurs. But those 
 who have thus submitted then* backs to the rider, 
 cannot, after an example of old, crush his foot against 
 the wall. They must " reverently obey," or they will 
 feel the rod of power. 
 
 If such are the powers of the bishops over the 
 clergy, what shall limit their power over the people 7 
 We will answer this question, and at the same time 
 illustrate our answer, by giving a case which oc- 
 curred at Lowell, Mass. The people had applied to 
 the bishop for particular preachers, but were refused. 
 They then requested permission to supply themselves 
 Avith preachers. This was also refused ; and the 
 very preachers against whom they had objected, were 
 actually forced upon them. But the people of Low- 
 ell were too near Biuiker Hill to submit to such dic- 
 tation without a struggle ; and they were too har- 
 monious and powerful to be easily subdued. Per- 
 sisting in their rebellion, they were publicly declared, 
 through the medium of Zion's Herald, to be " with- 
 out the pale of the Church" — excommunicated. And 
 this was done by the rejected preachers, with the ap- 
 probation of the presiding elder. The case was 
 " carried up" to the bishop, and he confirmed the de- 
 cision, and pronounced it Methodism. At length, 
 those churches rescinded certain resolutions which 
 had given offence, and were graciously restored to 
 church privileges " by another stroke of the sani-^ 
 
AND METHODISM. 257 
 
 pen."* Other cases of a like nature might be added, 
 but it is not necessary. 
 
 The above case exhibits the efficacy of the 
 " check " upon the bishops, when in the hands of the 
 people. They were made to feel the power of that arm 
 against which they had arisen. This case demon- 
 strates the factj that both preachers and people may 
 be crushed by the overgrown weight of episcopacy. 
 Says one, who has been intimately connected 
 with the system, and seen its w^orkings, and felt its 
 effects, "what a tremendous power for five men," 
 (bishops, — now seven in number) " to exercise over 
 their brethren in the ministry ! How dangerous to 
 liberty of conscience ! And yet scores of young 
 ministers are annually bowing their necks at the feet 
 of the episcopacy, and taking upon themselves ' or- 
 dination vows' which oblige them to obey their ' chief 
 ministers,' without making any provision for the ex- 
 ercise of a ' good conscience towards God !' De- 
 pendent as they are, primarily, upon the bishops, and 
 secondarily, on the presiding elders, for their appoint- 
 ments, and consequently for their bread, they are 
 ever tempted to conciliate their spiritual lords by flat- 
 tery, false respect, and fawning around the sources of 
 power, hoping by these means to obtain a more fa- 
 vorable disposition of their lot.''t 
 
 Says another, " The present system of govern- 
 ment among the Methodists requires such arts of 
 human policy and chicanery to carry it on, as, in my 
 opinion, are totally inconsistent with the openness of 
 
 * Wesleyan Companion, Vol. I. No. 2, pp. 58-60. 
 t Ibid. pp. 63, 64. 
 
258 CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 gospel simplicity. * * The hope is, that this mode of 
 government will soon be altered.-'* 
 
 Having bound themselves by their ordination 
 vows to act, '' not according to their own will,''> the 
 preachers must submit to "the absohite" direction of 
 the bishop, or they are perjured men. 
 
 But we must pass on to other powers of the bish- 
 ops. In the intervals between the conferences, they 
 can receive preachers, independently of all control. 
 Every preacher must have his license signed by a 
 bishop, or his agent. At the trial of members or 
 preachers, if the bishop is present, it is his preroga- 
 tive to preside, and to decide all questions of law. 
 By his very office, as general siiperinteiidenf, 
 wherever he is, he takes precedence of all others, 
 absorbing, in fact, all the powers of the presiding el- 
 ders and preachers. Nor is this all. The system 
 provides for a multiplication, — so to speak, — of these 
 powers. The presiding elders are simply agents of 
 the bishops ; to perform in their absence what the 
 bishops would perform, if present. Thus this " tre- 
 mendous power " becomes almost omnipresent. 
 
 In the Annual Conferences, the bishop is the au- 
 thorized expounder of the Book of Discipline, and 
 decides all questions of law, — subject to an appeal 
 to the next General Conference, which sits once in 
 four years. If any one is oppressed by an incorrect 
 or unjust decision, he is consoled by the reflection 
 that he can appeal to another body, in from one to 
 four years, if he is not in his grave ! 
 
 * Whitehead's Life of Wesley, Vol. XL pp. 293, 294. 
 t Book of Dis. pp. 39,41. 
 
AND METHODISM. 259 
 
 The arbitrary and almost unlimited power which 
 the bishops possess in the Annual Conferences, is 
 exhibited by the remarlc of Bishop Waugh, in the 
 New England conference in 1S42. A certain reso- 
 lution having been offered, the bishop refused to put 
 it to the conference ; and all the reply which he con- 
 descended to give, was, " liis too late in the day for 
 <me to give 7ny reasons.''^* Using his episcopal au- 
 thority as a gag upon free discussion, and coolly 
 leaning upon the dignity of his office, he says to the 
 assembled conference, '• Hitherto shalt thou come, 
 and no farther, and here let thy proud waves be 
 stayed." No matter what may be the question, — no 
 matter what maybe the feelings and opinions of per- 
 haps two hundred men composing the conference, 
 the bishop may interpose his veto as effectually as 
 the President of the United States, '• O," exclaims 
 the apologist of this system, " tJiey may appeal to the 
 next General Conference^ four years hence P'' Such 
 provision is an insult to freemen. It is a burlesque 
 upon all our ideas of free discussion, and would be 
 tolerated nowhere else among Protestants. 
 
 Another illustration, of the same sort, was fur- 
 nished at a late meeting of the Virginia Annual 
 Conference. " Bishops Soule and Andrew were both 
 present, the latter by the invitation of the former. 
 Bishop Soule said, ' he invited Bishop Andrew, in 
 full view of his responsibilities ; — that he stood upon 
 the broad platform of the Discipline, and wished to 
 bear, alone, the consequences of his course.' He 
 thus claims for the episcopacy, nay, for any one of 
 * Wesleyan Companion, Vol. I. No. 2, p. 56. 
 
260 CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 the bishops, a right to decide on the legahty of any 
 act of the General Conference^ and to veto it, if, in 
 his judgment, it is not in accordance with the disci- 
 phne of the church. The Advocate speaks of epis- 
 copal claims of this nature, as more to be feared in 
 the Methodist Episcopal Church, than high church 
 prelatical pretensions in the Protestant Episcopal 
 Church."* 
 
 But the duties of the bishops are not confined to 
 the spiritual affairs of the church : it is their pre- 
 rogative "to oversee," also, its ^'■temporal husiriess.^^ 
 (p. 28.) The nature and extent cf these duties are 
 not defined in the Book of Discipline ; but from the 
 illustrations of these episcopal powers in respect to 
 spiritual matters, we may infer what they are in re- 
 spect to temporal. Some light may be thrown upon 
 this subject by the fact, that the bishops are accounta- 
 ble to the General Conference, and to that body only. 
 
 And yet an apologist for this system, speaking by 
 authority, tell us, " that if there is any oppression in 
 the Methodist Episcopal Churchy it is on the bish- 
 ops. No officer of any other enlightened body on earth, 
 civil or religious, is so severely restrained ; and it is 
 questionable whether any man should expose him- 
 self to the liabilities which may result from such pe- 
 culiar restrictions."! (!) 
 
 We are tempted to ask whether this is an exam- 
 ple of what is meant by '-'fawning around the 
 sources of poiver ?" 
 
 But what are the '• severe restraints," and " oppres- 
 
 * New- York Observer. 
 
 + Government of M. E. Church, p. 33. 
 
AND METHODISM. 261 
 
 sion," and " liabilities, which may result from such 
 peculiar restrictions ?" 
 
 '*1. The bishops, who have this power, itinerate 
 through the land, and are therefore cut off from local 
 or selfish partialities in making the appointments." 
 
 But do not the four thousand men, and the fami- 
 lies that are connected with them, who are sent 
 wherever these seven bishops please, "itinerate" 
 also? Where, then, is the peculiar "oppression" 
 which they endure ? 
 
 " 2. They have no superior salaries." 
 Neither are their salaries inferior. Where, then, 
 is the ]j€culiar " oppression," in this respect ? Is it 
 in the fact, that their salaries are paid out of "the 
 revenues of the church," before the division is made 
 among the inferior clergy, and thus their salaries are 
 infallibly paid, in full, and punctually, while the 
 salaries of the latter may not be thus paid? 
 
 "3. They have no vote in any question to be 
 decided in General or Annual Conference ; not even 
 in making rules by which they are themselves to be 
 governed." 
 
 Is it common, in other " enlightened bodies," for 
 the presiding officer to vote, except in case of a tie ? 
 and especially in matters of personal interest ? But 
 if the bishops are denied the privilege of casting 
 their solitary vote, they can, as we have seen, veto 
 or nullify the acts of the whole body ; and where fall 
 " the peculiar restrictions .?" What other " enlight- 
 ened body on earth," would tolerate a presiding of- 
 ficer, who should refuse to put a decent and orderly 
 resolution, and then add the audacious reply, " It is 
 
 12* 
 
262 CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 too late in the day for me to give my reasons ^ " It 
 is" not " questionable" whether the presiding " officer 
 of any other enUghtened body on earth," would " ex- 
 pose himself to the habihties Avhich" would " result 
 from such" an assumption of arbitrary power. 
 
 " 4. Their conduct, both private and official, is 
 examined at every General Conference, by a com- 
 mittee of one fiom each Annual Conference." 
 
 Is it a " severe restraint" that one's official con- 
 duct is examined, once in four years ? As to an ex- 
 amination of one's private conduct, that is no "pe- 
 culiar" hardship, for an honest man. But there is 
 no examination of a bishop's jjrivate conduct, as a 
 private individual ; it is only in relation to his office 
 as a bishop. 
 
 " 5. Any person, lay or clerical, can appear before 
 this committee and accuse the bishop, and that too 
 in his absence, and without giving' him any pre- 
 vious notice.^^ 
 
 Is it common, in "other enlightened bodies," to give 
 an officer notice of an intended impeachment ? It 
 cannot be that the bishop is tried in his absence, or 
 without sufficient notice. 
 
 '' 6. A bishop may be accused and expelled, not 
 only for immoral, but for improper conduct, a se- 
 verity used toward no other member of the church ; 
 for no one but a bishop, not even a child or a slave, 
 can be expelled for the first improper act of that 
 character." 
 
 "Expelled" from what? The language implies 
 that he is expelled from "the chiu'ch;" but the na- 
 ture of the case teaches us that it is an "expulsion" 
 
AND METHODISM, 263 
 
 from his office, as bishop. And the question, in that 
 case, is, not how many times he has been gniUy ; 
 but, Is there sufficient grounds for his '-'expulsion?" 
 Where, then, is the " pecuUar severity ?'' 
 
 " 7. If a bishop be expelled, he has no appeal." 
 To what could he appeal ? For he is already at 
 the top of the ladder, and is tried by the highest ec- 
 clesiastical court, and the only court which has a 
 right to try the case. 
 
 These seven reasons have been dwelt upon longer 
 than their intrinsic merits would justify, because they 
 are formally exhibited through the agency of the 
 Book Concern, as the " checks'''' which are laid upon 
 the bishops, and which we are desired to regard as 
 offsets to their episcopal powers. We are therefore 
 to regard this as the best apology that can be offered. 
 And this is a portion of that " sequel," which was to 
 " show that the laity have a due control of the gov- 
 ernment of the church." The only remaining por- 
 tion is, the widiholding of contributions, which we 
 shall have occasion to notice in another connection. 
 It was necessary that something be said to gloss over 
 principles, which are irreconcilably at vrar with the 
 instructions of our Saviour, and with the genius of 
 our free institutions. But with what face do they 
 tell us that the clergy hold a "check" upon the 
 bishop in his disposal of their destiny ? Of what 
 avail is it, except to blind unthinking minds, to say 
 that " the clergy elect the bishop," when he is elected 
 for the very purpose of being a perfect Cassar in this 
 matter ? Of what avail is it, except to deceive, to 
 say "that they can modify or utterly abolish his 
 
264 CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 power in the General Conference," when he not only 
 holds all their individual destinies in his fist, but can 
 control, and actually has controlled them ail com- 
 bined, in Annual Conference, — gagging discussion, 
 and, in eifect, even vetoing the acts of the General 
 Conference itself? Who, that is not blinded by pre- 
 judice, can fail of seeing that the mantle of John 
 Wesley has fallen upon these bishops ? Says Dr, 
 Whitehead, " Mr. Wesley would not submit to any 
 control in admitting preachers into the connection, in 
 appointing them to the different circuits, or in gov- 
 erning the societies. It appears to me, that after the 
 first difference with his brother, who disappointed 
 his intended marriage, he had made up his mind not 
 to suffer either a superior or an equal in these re- 
 spects. From that time he seemed determined to be, 
 ^ Aut CcBsar aiit nihil.^^'* 
 
 And yet men will arise from the dust and tell us, 
 they have a sufficient check iqjon the bishop ! Either 
 their ideas of what constitutes a sufficient check are 
 very different from ours, or else they find an equiva- 
 lent in the fact that, the more arbitrary the powers 
 of the bishop are over themselves, the more arbitrary 
 their powers are over the people. 
 
 Allow me to illustrate some of the principles upon 
 which tjiese powers are wielded, in the language of 
 a most competent witness. 
 
 " During the time that Mr. Wesley, strictly and 
 properly speaking, governed the societies, his power 
 was absolute. There were no rights or privileges, 
 no offices of power or influence, but what were 
 
 * *' Either Caesar or nothing." Life of Wesley, Vol. II, p. ] 67. 
 
AND METHODISM. 265 
 
 created or sanctioned by him ; nor could any person 
 hold them but during his pleasure. The whole sys- 
 tem of Methodism, like a great and complicated ma- 
 chine, was formed imder his direction, and his will 
 gave motion to all its parts, and turned it this way 
 or that, as he thought proper. His influence, like a 
 mighty torrent, gathered strength in its progress, at 
 every intermediate step between him and the people. 
 Let us suppose, for instance, that on some important 
 matter, that concerned all the societies, or the nation 
 at large, Mr. Wesley gave his orders to his assist- 
 ants," (presiding elders,) ^'dispersed through the three 
 kingdoms ;" (over two hundred in number, in this 
 country,) " these would impress them on the other 
 itinerants, in number together," (in this country,) 
 more than four thousand. " With the influence 
 of this body, these orders would pass on to" more 
 than seven thousand "local preachers, in a vast 
 variety of situations ; who, in connection with the 
 itinerants, Avould impress them on the class leaders 
 and stewards,* and these, by personal application, 
 might, in a short time, enforce them," literally, on 
 the million. " In addition to this, we may suppose 
 the itinerants and local preachers, in the course of 
 ten days or a fortnight, publicly address" two millions 
 of people, " when the same matter might be farther 
 urged upon them. Now what could stand against 
 such an influence as this — so combined, diflused, 
 and rapid in its progress — when once put in motion ?- 
 
 * I have no means of stating the number of these ; but if the 
 whole membership comprises only 1,000,000, and if the classes aver- 
 age 10 individuals, the number of class leaders would he 100,000. 
 
266 CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 If directed against any individuals in the societies, 
 whatever might be their character or influence, their 
 opposition could only be like the pebbles before a 
 torrent rolling down the side of a mountain ; it would 
 be swept away without being perceived.* I do not 
 say that Mr. Wesley ever exercised his authority on 
 as extensive a scale as is here represented ; all I 
 mean to show the reader is, that had any occasion 
 of sufiicient importance required it, he had the j)oicer 
 to do so ; and that, in the Methodist economy, the 
 influence of the ruling preachers operates this way, 
 and has actually been exerted^ since the death of 
 Mr. Wesley, on a larger scale than here mentioned.^t 
 This, let it be noticed, is the language of Mr. 
 Wesley's chosen biographer. It is, manifestly, the 
 language of an honest man, who feels the responsi- 
 bility of his station. The principles here unfolded, 
 carry to every unprejudiced mind the convictions of 
 self-evident truth. There is nothing that looks like 
 passion or exaggeration. What a power is this to 
 be wielded by seven men — a power to rouse the 
 slumbering elements of this mighty mass, and then 
 " to ride upon the tempest and direct the storm." No 
 marvel that Xhey feel their power, seated upon their 
 episcopal thrones, like Jupiter on Olympus hinling 
 his thunderbolts among the gods. No marvel that 
 
 * Is this the way that we are to account for certain facts which 
 would, otherwise, be unaccountable 7 Rev. Dr. Bascom, for example — 
 not to mention names of lesser note — has published to the world a clear 
 and manly " Declaration" of ecclesiastical independence ; but where 
 do we now behold him ] His own language, which we have already 
 quoted, furnishes the answer to that question. 
 
 1 Whitehead's Life of Wesley, Vol. XL pp. 2D2, 293. 
 
AND METHODISM. 267 
 
 we hear the scornful replj^, " It is too late in the day 
 for me to give my reasons^ Above all, what an 
 influence is this to be possessed and wielded in a re- 
 public ; when we consider " the central organs of 
 information," with perhaps a dozen steam-presses, 
 and hundreds of thousands of capital to raise the 
 steam, and " the archly constructed machinery, set 
 in motion by the great central wheel, the General 
 Conference, and communicating with tens of thou- 
 sands of subordinate wheels, which are connected 
 with every society and class throughout the Union." 
 
XIII. 
 
 " For I ALSO am a man set under authority, having under me 
 soldiers ; and i say unto one, go, and he goeth ; and to another, 
 Come, and he cometh ; and to my servant. Do this, and he doeth 
 IT." — Luke 7 : 8. 
 
 " Principle of Compensation : its application to the subordinate Clergy," to Lay 
 Officers, to the People— Support of the Clergy— The Clergy "made" by the 
 People— The Starvation Argument. 
 
 This language of the centurion has a pecuHar 
 appropriateness in illustrating the system of Episco- 
 pal Methodism. That system contains the principle 
 which, in the natural world, is called " the ^principle 
 of compensation^ That is, wherever privations or 
 disadvantages are experienced, there is, in some way, 
 a cofnjyensation. For example, — the elephant has 
 a very short neck — so short that, without some 
 other contrivance, he must absolutely perish, for he 
 would be unable to obtain either food or drink, — and 
 that contrivance is his trunk. The camel was created 
 for the desert ; and he is provided with a peculiar 
 stomach, like a natural water tank. 
 
 AVe find something similar to this in the system 
 of Episcopal Methodism. Those who are " set 
 under" the absolute " authority" of others, are com- 
 pensated, in a measure at least, either by as absolute 
 authority over those still lower in the scale, or in 
 
CONGREGATIONALISM, ETC, 559 
 
 some other way. At the ordination of an elder, the 
 bishop asks the candidate, " Will you reverently obey 
 your chief ministers, unto whom is committed the 
 charge and government over you : following with a 
 glad mind and will their godly admonitions, submit- 
 ting yourselves to their godly judgments?" Ans. 
 ^' 1 will so do, God being my helper." This has been 
 already sufficiently explained, in previous chapters, 
 by quotations from the Book of Discipline. 
 
 Now, we would ask, what more could be prom- 
 ised by a candidate on his admission to the order of 
 Jesuits ? And this is not a dead letter upon the 
 statute book of Methodism. Every year the entire 
 " standing army " of the itinerant clergy, repair to 
 Head (Quarters, and await their destiny ; and every 
 two years at farthest, all receive marching orders. 
 And wherever they are, they are liable to have their 
 labors, and their stations changed, by their '•' chief 
 minister," at any moment. 
 
 But those who are thus " under authority," enjoy 
 an equivalent ; they " have soldiers under" them. 
 They hold, essentially, in as arbitrary a manner, the 
 ecclesiastical destiny of every private member of the 
 Methodist Episcopal Church, within the limits of 
 their respective locations. Is an individual proposed 
 for admission to the Church 1 The preacher in 
 charge holds the keys ; for although the examina- 
 tion is in the presence of the society, yet, according 
 to the system, no voice may be uttered upon the 
 question of admission, except the preacher's. Is a 
 member to be disciplined? The preacher, or one 
 whom he appoints, must commence the process. Is 
 
270 CONGREGATIONALISM! 
 
 the accused brought to trial? The preacher decides 
 whether the trial shall be before the whole society, 
 or a committee. And wheu the^r, like a jury, bring 
 in a verdict, he, with more than the power of a civil 
 judge, can, by delay, nullify their decision, or refer the 
 case, for a new trial, to another tribunal, a majority 
 of whose members may be men of his own appoint- 
 ment, or at least, in whose appointment the accused 
 has not had the least agency. 
 
 To aid him in his pastoral supervision, the 
 preacher in charge can appoint a staff of class lead- 
 ers, whom he can change at pleasure. To secure a 
 full and prompt collection of his quarterage, he can 
 nominate a corps of stewards, whose accounts he 
 can " overlook." He may appoint persons to receive 
 the quarterly collections of the classes. If money 
 is raised to build churches in his circuit, he may 
 appoint a committee to manage it. He is em- 
 powered to license as exhorters in the church, such 
 persons as he may judge proper, — thus collecting 
 materials, and putting them in a course of training, 
 from which his own order, the itinerant clergy, may 
 be reinforced, — the only limit to his discretion being 
 the class leaders whom he has himself appointed, 
 or the class over which one of his servants presides. 
 He is empowered '• to enforce vigorously, but calmly, 
 all the rules of the society." And finally, as one of 
 the itinerant clerg^^, he may have a voice in enact- 
 ing the laws, and administering the government of 
 that vast connection, aiid thus may make his infiu^ 
 ence felt to the extremities of the land. Truly, 
 though he is himself '' under authority," yet he can 
 
AND METHODISM. 271 
 
 say, with equal authority^ " to one, Go, and he goetli ; 
 to another, Come, and he cometh ; and to his ser- 
 vant, Do this, and he doeth it." And, to place him, 
 firmly, in the possession of his dominions, the use 
 of the church edifice is secured to him, and protect- 
 ed by the strong arm of the law. When, therefore, 
 the preacher is sent by the bishop, under the author- 
 ity of tlie General Conference, " he runs not as un- 
 certainly ;" — he has his castle, in which he may en- 
 trench himself, where, surrounded by a body guard 
 of his own selection, and backed up by the entire 
 system, no opposition, however combined, can ever 
 reach him. 
 
 Similar to this is the '• authority" of the class 
 leaders and stewards. The class leaders hold their 
 office, indeed, at the mere will of their superior, the 
 preacher in charge ; but they are aid-de-camps in this 
 standing army, and are as independent of the people, 
 as are the preachers themselves. As it respects the 
 stewards, their accounts must be kept open to the 
 inspection of the preacher, but they, in like manner, 
 are not responsible to the people. 
 
 The question will very naturally arise. How 
 does '• the principle of compensation" apply to the 
 people ? 
 
 It applies, not jyositlvely^ hnt negatively ; — not in 
 the conferring of privileges ; but in the removal of 
 responsibilities. While the people are stripped ut- 
 terly^ of their rights^ they are relieved from all bur- 
 dens that come in the shape of responsibilities. They 
 have no responsibility in the admission and disci- 
 pline of church members ; none in the choice and 
 
272 CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 settlement and admission of pastors ; none in discus- 
 sing and deciding questions of faith and practice. 
 If they are forbidden, on pain of excommunication, to 
 utter a word which might produce in their societies 
 dissatisfaction with Methodist doctrines and disci- 
 pline, the clergy have kindly relieved them from all 
 responsibility in respect to those subjects, by taking 
 all such questions into their own hands. The rule 
 by which every thing is to be thought, said, or done, 
 is recorded in the book ; and even then the people 
 are not left with the trouble of taking care of them- 
 selves, but are kindly placed in leading-strings, with 
 a " leader" to guide them. There is but one solitary 
 thought to excite apprehension, viz.. However men 
 may yield themselves to the guidance and control of 
 others, the pen of Inspiration has recorded, " that 
 every inan must give account of himself unto 
 GodP The only thing wanting is, that the clergy 
 carry their principle through^ to the final judg- 
 ment^ of '' assiuning the responsibility. '^^ 
 
 But there is another application of "the principle of 
 compensation." Great efforts have been made, in cer- 
 tain quarters, to excite popular odium against the min- 
 isters of other denominations, by denouncing them as 
 " salaried hirelings,^^ &c. &c. — while the Methodist 
 itinerants have been lauded in the contrast, as " pil- 
 grims," '• self-denying men, with one himdred dollars 
 ayearP 
 
 Now it must be admitted, that one hundred dol- 
 lars a year for the public services of a man who is 
 coinpetent for such service, ought to satisfy even the 
 man who rendered public thanks '^ that he had been 
 
AND METHODISM. 273 
 
 a Methodist so many years, and it never had cost 
 him but a shilling ;" although such public trumpetings 
 of one's own self-denial savors a little of the charac- 
 ter of those, whom our Saviour has designated by no 
 very enviable appellation. But let us examine into 
 the fairness of the representations which are made 
 in language and in manner, that are adapted, and 
 apparently designed to produce the impression, that 
 the support which a Methodist preacher receives, is 
 but one hundred dollars a year. 
 
 1. The allowance of the travelling preachers 
 shall be one hundred dollars a year, and their 
 travelling expenses. 2. If they are married, they 
 shall be allowed an additional hundred dollars. 3. 
 For every child under seven years of age they shall 
 be allowed sixteen dollars a year, and for every 
 child between the ages of seven and fourteen years 
 they shall be allowed twenty-four dollars. 4. It 
 shall be the duty of the stewards of each station 
 to provide a house for the preacher, rent free, " and 
 furnish it with at least heavy furniture ;" and a com- 
 mittee, appointed by the Gtuarterly Conference, or 
 otherwise, shall make an estimate of the necessary 
 expenses of the table, and for fuel, and provide ac- 
 cordingly. (Book of Discipline, pp. 173, 179, 180.) 
 
 Really, there is nothing so very forbidding in this 
 aspect of the matter ; — house rent, with main arti- 
 cles of furniture ; table expenses, fuel, travelling ex- 
 penses ; and for the preacher, wife and three chil- 
 dren under seven years of age, two hundred and 
 forty-eight dollars a year. It is not, indeed, re- 
 markably inviting, in a pecuniary point of view ; 
 
274 CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 stillj there are few ministers, of other denominations, 
 who would discourage a proposal to exchange their 
 "salaries " for such " self denial." But there is an 
 item or two yet to be noticed. 
 
 1. " The allowance of superannuated preachers 
 shall be one hundred dollars, and their travelling ex- 
 penses ;" a pension for life. 2. " The wives and 
 widows of superannuated, and worn-out preachers 
 shall be one hundred dollars," — another pension for 
 life. 3. The orphan children of the preachers, shall 
 receive the same sum annually, as if their fathers 
 were living, and in active service ; and if they are 
 left destitute of the means of support, the Annual 
 Conference shall provide the necessary means, until 
 they are fourteen years of age, and those preachers 
 whose wives are dead, shall be allowed a sum suffi- 
 cient to pay the board of their children, till fourteen 
 years of age. (pp. 173, 174.) 
 
 Is there another system that aims to provide for 
 its ministry like this ? " Pilgiims, " indeed, and 
 walking by faith ; but there is a " double sense " to 
 the term, in this connection. It is a faith which 
 cheers but few ministers of other denominations in 
 the dying hour ; that even such provision is made, 
 by their system, for those whom they aie about to 
 leave widows and orphans. Certainly, there is, in 
 this feature of the system, something substantial in 
 " the principle of compensation ;" especially, when 
 we take into the account the fact, that there has been, 
 in most cases, no long and expensive course of train- 
 ing, consuming, perhaps, the student's patrimony, if 
 he has any, and some ten years of the flower of his 
 
AND METHODISM, 275 
 
 life ; ^vhile on the contrary, through all this prepara- 
 tory course, such as it is, he may have been pursuing 
 some profitable employment. 
 
 There are two respects, however, in vrhich it is 
 cZ«/wzec/ that the "principle of compensation" pre- 
 ponderates in favor of the people. As so many 
 changes are rung upon these two strings, it is neces- 
 sary to notice them with some degree of particulari- 
 ty. They are thus introduced, by a set defender of 
 the system. 
 
 '• What check have the peojjle on this machine- 
 ryr 
 
 1. '•' The power of pecuniary supplies. 2. The 
 people them.selves make all their preachers."* 
 
 We will notice the latter point first. Our author 
 sums up his argument on this point thus : " A can- 
 didate for license must, then, first, be recommended 
 by a body of laymen ; second, this recommenda- 
 tion must be accepted by another body of laymen ; 
 third, his license must be annually renewed by la^'- 
 men ; fourth, if he wishes for ordination, it must be 
 voted by laymen ; fifth, if he wishes admission to 
 the Conference,he must be recommended by laymen." 
 
 This certainly looks vv^ell on paper, — as well as 
 a western town plot. The main objection is, it is 
 
 UTTERLY DECEPTIVE. WhO COlUpCSe this " fil'St " 
 
 " body of laymen ?" Either the " class " to which 
 the " candidate " belongs, or the class leaders, 
 every one of whom is appointed, and holds his ap- 
 pointment, by the sole will of the preacher. Is this 
 the trick of a juggler,— putting in the word people, 
 
 * Government of M. E. Church, pp. 29, 30. 
 
276 CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 and then substituting another, to deceive the credu- 
 lous multitude ? And what is the " second body of 
 laymen ?" The quarterly meeting Conference, not 
 an individual of whom is a member by the free 
 action of the people ; while the great majority are 
 members by the sole action of the preacher in 
 charge, and the remainder are members by the joint 
 action of the preacher and of those whom he clothes 
 with power. Every individual belonging to that 
 body, may be appointed to it, as was shown in chap- 
 ter tenth, without the least agency of the people in 
 any shape ivhatever. And who are the " laymen" 
 by whom the said *' license " must be renewed ? 
 This same (Quarterly Conference. Who are the 
 " laymen " upon whose vote the candidate is depend- 
 ent for ordination ? The (Quarterly Conference. 
 Who are the " laymen " w^hose recommendation is 
 indispensable to his admission to the (Annual) Con- 
 ference ? This same Quarterly Conference !* 
 
 Was there ever such an imposition upon the con- 
 fidence of the community ? But all this is far 
 from " making a preacher.''^ It only prepares the 
 way for a candidate to be " received on trial ;" and 
 this " is entirely different from admitting a preacher 
 into full connection," (p. 41 :) so that after all the 
 
 * One is reminded of a certain comedian, who, wishing to 
 take passage in a public conveyance, and becoming weary of 
 waiting for the full complement of passengers, slipped out of the 
 coach, unobserved by the driver, and soon re-appeared, with so dif- 
 ferent a voice and countenance, that the driver supposed he had ano- 
 ther passenger. This was repeated till the driver, supposing he had 
 his full number, drove on, with an almost empty coach. 
 
AND METHODISM. 
 
 277 
 
 " making of preachers," in the proper sense of that 
 term, is exclusively the business of the clergy. 
 
 The whole of the claim which we are consider- 
 ing is this. Certain individuals who have been se- 
 lected by the clergy, without any agency of the peo- 
 ple, to fill particular offices, may have a voice, in 
 connection with the clergy, in recommending indi- 
 viduals /o?- trial, as candidates for admission into 
 the ministry ; while the question of their reception 
 is to be decided by the ministry alone. What are 
 such formal, pompous, ostentatious displays of " lay 
 offices," and of " lay officers," but an exposure of 
 their own nakedness ? Let it be for ever remembered, 
 that not one of these " laymen " is clothed with a 
 f article of power, hy the free action of the people. 
 They are the mere tools of the clergy, — appointed, 
 either directly or indirectly, by the clergy; con- 
 trolled by the clergy, and accountable to the clergy. 
 
 The attempt is made to exhibit Congregational- 
 ism in the same odious light. It is true that in li- 
 censing and ordaining ministers " without charge^"* 
 CongregationaHsts leave those matters, by consent, 
 with the ministry. But men thus licensed and or- 
 dained, are clothed with no authority over the 
 churches. They are simply accredited as preachers 
 of the word, and administrators of Christian ordi- 
 nances, and they form no connection with any peo- 
 ple, without the free action of that people. 
 
 The only remaining ground on which it is claimed 
 that the people, under the Methodist system, have a 
 " check " on its " machinery," is " the power of pe- 
 cuniary supplies." 
 
 13 
 
278 CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 It comeSj then, to this : — the clergy, when once 
 seated in their clerical chairs, can be reached, by the 
 people, only through their pockets, or their stomachs ! 
 Says Dr. Bond, " Whenever their flocks shall with- 
 draw their support, the preachers will be under 
 the necessity of abandoning their pastoral relation^ 
 and of betaking themselves to some secular occupa- 
 tion." Says Bishop Emory, " Our system places us, 
 in fact, not only from year to year, and from quarter 
 to quarter, but from week to week, within the reach 
 of a controlling check, on the part of the people, and 
 which is considered both by them and by us, * * as 
 fully equivalent to the relinquishment on their part 
 of a direct representation in our general conferences.* 
 
 Here we have " the principle of compensation," 
 ■ — the relinquishment, on the part of the people, of 
 the manly, natural right of self- government, and 
 even of a representation in the government, for the 
 " lynch law" right of " starving out" their " pastors ;'^ 
 and on the part of the clergy, there is the right to 
 rule, while they rule at all, without control, but at 
 the liazard of starvation. There is no recognition of 
 the right of an honorable adjustment of difficulties, 
 or of an honorable separation of the parlies ; ail 
 that the people can do, if dissatisfied wiih their 
 preacher, is, to sit down, in dogged obstinacy, with 
 their hands over their pockets, and " starve him out.'^ 
 Starving, themselves, for lack oi spiritual food, they 
 bsar it as they may, while watching the operation 
 of 7iafural hunger upon the per.son and the family 
 of their spiritual shepherd ; like the two men on a 
 ♦ Government of M. E. Church, pp. II, 30. 
 
AND METHODISM, 279 
 
 wager, who sat with their limbs in a kettle of heat- 
 ing water, to see which could endure it the longest. 
 It would add to the interest of the picture, if {he fami- 
 lies of the preachers were exhibited, the wives, and 
 mothers, and children, — as we watch the progress 
 of famine during this very interesting process. And 
 this, let it be remembered, is the sum total of the 
 rights of freemen in Christ Jesus, the honorable, dig- 
 nified. Christian right of " starving out" their pastors ! 
 " Tell it not in Gath ! publish it not in the streets 
 of Askelon, lest the" infidel "triumph !" 
 
 But let us look at the morality of this argument. 
 According to the system which the people have 
 solemnly subscribed, the preacher who is sent by the 
 bishop, is honestly entitled to a support for himself 
 and family ; and the people to whom he ministers, 
 have pledged themselves, unequivocally, by becoming 
 connected with the system, to bear their just propor- 
 tion of the burden, — if it be a burden. A laborer has 
 entered a particular field, under the direction of his 
 superior, whom he has sworn to obey, and whom 
 the people have, as solemnly, covenanted to receive. 
 They all alike claim the itinerancy as the corner- 
 stone of the system; and in order to this, the "sta- 
 tioning power*' is indispensable. But here conies an 
 argument by which a man becomes judge and ex- 
 ecutioner in his ow^n case ; just the argument for the 
 prejudiced, the unreasonable, and the avaricious. It 
 says to every such man, in just so many words, " You 
 tnaynow violate ivitlt impunity your specific jiledges^ 
 your religious system^ and your conscience." 
 
 Instructive and profitable must be the labors of the 
 
ggO CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 preacher to those who are acting towards him the part 
 of knaves ! Very favorable to growth in grace must 
 that system be, whose advocates proclaim to every 
 dishonest man, beforehand, that this is his privilege ! 
 And it is one of the most weighty and grievous 
 charges against CongregationaUsm, that it expects 
 its members to pay their honest debts, if they are 
 able ; while the chief jjrivilege that Methodism 
 claims for the people, as an inducement to join that 
 system, is, that they can defraud their minister ! 
 Mormonism boasts the right to " milk the Gentiles ;" 
 Methodism, alone, boasts the 'peculiar privilege of 
 *' starving out" its own ministers ! 
 
 But this is not all. According to the Book of 
 Discipline, and according to the very nature of a 
 Christian profession, every individual, on his admis- 
 sion to the Methodist Church, pledges himself, be- 
 fore God, " to observe the rules of the church." (p. 
 77.) Professing, then, as they do, that this is a sys- 
 tem approved of God ; and uniting with a church, 
 which is organized on peculiar and specific princi- 
 ples, they are bound by the most solemn vows to 
 abide by and to sustain the system while they re- 
 main connected with it. Those who resort to this 
 starvation argument are, before God and man, cove- 
 nant breakers. They violate what they professed- 
 ly regard as the law of Christ. It is a willful, open, 
 professed violation of a most solenm religious cove- 
 nant with God and with man.* 
 
 * We cannot withhold another quotation from the " Review of 
 Bishop Onderdonk's Address, by Observer." 
 
 " But of all the inconsistencies in the document before ue, and 
 
AND METHODISM. 281 
 
 But the question will still return, "Is it true, 
 after all, that there is in the hands of the people, 
 any efficient ' power of control ' over the clergy ?" 
 For the system aims to provide relief during these 
 '' years of famine." How was it, that those preach- 
 ers whom the bishop placed over those rebellious 
 societies in Lowell, against the earnest protestations 
 of those societies, were able to retain their stations? 
 How was it that those comparatively wealthy soci- 
 eties, who offered to sustain their preachers, provided 
 they could have those of their own choice, were at 
 length wearied out, and induced or compelled to sub- 
 mit to the dictation of the bishop ? How happened 
 these and many other such like things, if the people 
 do actually/ possess ''' a check on this machinery ?" 
 Facts, — and '' facts are stubborn things," — show us 
 the actual value of this starvation argument ; they 
 show that it is utterly/ fallacious. The clergy have 
 means of support of which the people do not seem 
 to be aware. Every man who takes a Methodist 
 newspaper, or who buys a Methodist hymn book, or 
 who contributes in any way to the general funds 
 of that church, forges a link in the chain by which 
 the people are bound to the car of an irresponsible 
 hierarchy. 
 
 these are not a few, the greatest is that of allowing resistance to such 
 a government which, the Bishop gives us to understand, may at times 
 be justifiable. What — right to resist men to whom all ' power and 
 prerogative come directly from Heaven V — right to ' protest' against 
 the doings of such rulers! Shockingly impious! With perfect con- 
 sistency have the Catholic priests above quoted, told us that such con- 
 duct ' must be stigmatized as a rebellion SigdiXusi the powers establish- 
 ed by God himself.' " 
 
282 CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 But this starvation argument shows us to what 
 extremities those who use it are driv^en : — tJiat there 
 is nothing manly or xoorthy of freemen left unto 
 them, icithin the compass of their system^ — no- 
 thing, absolutely, but this mean, dishonest, lynch- 
 law argument of starvation ! And aU this in the 
 face of their covenant with God and with his church, 
 to submit to a system which gives to tlie bishop the 
 right, and imposes on him the duty of stationing 
 the preachers according to his own judgment ; which 
 binds the preachers by their ordhiation vows to go, 
 and to abide, where their chief ministers may direct, 
 and whicii binds the people to receive and support 
 him. 
 
 I have thus accomplished my purpose, first, of 
 exhibiting the chief principles of the system which 
 we have received as a legacy from our fathers. You 
 have been invited to lift up your eyes upon this in- 
 heritance, and behold the operation of these princi- 
 ples. Above ali, you have been pointed to the word 
 of God, wdiere these principles are recorded under the 
 broad seal of heaven. 
 
 Next, we have examined a system which is pro- 
 posed as a substitute ; a system the sum total of 
 whose claim is, experience. " The foolishness of 
 men^^ a substitute for '■' tJie wisdo?n of God /"' 
 
 The one system you behold blessing the world 
 with civil and religious liberty ; guaranteeing to 
 every man his rights as a man and a Christian. 
 
 The other you see, in the contrast, — not indeed 
 favored by circumstances for developing its full re° 
 
AND METHODISM. 283 
 
 suits in the field of politics, but exhibiting its spirit 
 and lis practice in '''■ vesting^^ all ecclesiastical pow- 
 er in the clergy. 
 
 The one system is based upon tlie recognized 
 rights of the people ; its fundamental principle is, 
 all power^ ecclesiastical as well as civile is inherent^ 
 and mitfit for ever remain inherent^ in the people. 
 
 The banner of the other is unfurled to the breeze, 
 with this characteristic inscription : " Pardon us if 
 
 WE KNOW NO SUCH RIGHTS J IF WE COJMPREHEND 
 NO SUCH PRIVILEGES." 
 
 This is the heaven-wide difference between the 
 two systems. How astonishing the prejudice, the 
 perversity^ that can abjure, and spurn the principles 
 of liberty, and then gather around the altar that is 
 erected upon the ruins of their rights, and burn in- 
 cense, and sing paeans to a system which '•' vests" all 
 power in a self constituted, irresponsible, absolute 
 hierarchy. For years the table of the General Con- 
 ference had groaned with petitions — yes, petitions, 
 on SUCH a subject, and in a land oi freetnen — peti- 
 tions, that the people might he allowed the 
 PRIVILEGE and the right 0/ representation in 
 the management of ecclesiastical affairs ! 
 Let it be repeated, till it is burnt and branded upon 
 the memory, that the final, and only, and united re- 
 ply of their self constituted masters was, '• PARDON 
 US IF WE KNOW NO SUCH RIGHTS ; IF WE 
 COMPREHEND NO SUCH PRIVILEGES." Men 
 who will sit tamely and submissively down, beneath 
 such arrogant, insolent assumptions of arbitrary 
 powerj are fitting, if not already fitted, to be— 
 
284 CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 WHAT ? And it is for such a syslem as this, that 
 we are urged to exchange the free principles, and 
 the noble institutions which we have inherited from 
 our fathers. 
 
 But the appeal comes to us not merely as men : it 
 comes to us as accountable men. We may not re- 
 nounce a system which is derived, professedly/, and 
 onl'i/, from the Scriptures, for a system which pro- 
 fesses to be derived from " experience,^^ (Book of Dis., 
 p. 5,) and which is directly subversive, on these 
 points, of the principles and authority of the Bible, 
 
 But we are asked, "How is it, then, that God has 
 so greatly blessed that system." 
 
 He has not blessed the system. He has, indeed, 
 blessed the labors of many good men, who in their 
 ignorance or inconsistency, have labored in his cause, 
 in connection with that system ; just as he blesses, and 
 will bless, the imperfect services of imperfect men 
 every where, when performed in his name ; for he 
 can cause even the '-^ wrath of man" to praise him. 
 There is an adaptation, in that system, to render it 
 efficient, powerfully efficient, for a season ; just as 
 the arbitrary power of one man rendered France, for 
 a season, almost superior to all the rest of Europe. 
 It was combined, concentrated power which enabled 
 Napoleon to grasp a continent in his fist, and shake 
 it to its centre, till almost every throne tottered to its 
 fall. But, from the very nature of the case, there is 
 a limit to such power. From the very nature of the 
 case, such a system contains within itself the ele- 
 ments of dissolution. On similar principles has the 
 system of Episcopal Methodism flourished ; and as 
 
AND METHODISM. 2S5 
 
 truly as there are laws in the physical and the moral 
 world, so surely must that system be changed, or it 
 must crumble and fall, both by decay, and by the 
 action of truth : for it violates fundamental laws 
 both of nature and of Revelation. There are indi- 
 cations that the system has arrived nearly at the top 
 of the wheel. The last Annual Report of the Con- 
 nection shows a diminution, during the last year, of 
 about thirty-five thousand members.* In almost 
 every part of that system, the minds of the people 
 are heaving with dissatisfaction with its principles 
 and its operation. When questions arise, in respect 
 to which they wish to act, they find that they are 
 circumscribed by walls, and held back by chains. 
 They are like the fabled giants incarcerated beneath 
 the deep foundations of Etna, who could never hope 
 to reach and control the counsels of the gods that 
 were enthroned upon its summit, except as their 
 giant energies could upheave and overturn the moun- 
 tain mass that crushed them, and thus overwhelm 
 those tyrants in the ruins. Thus the people in the 
 Methodist Episcopal Church find that there is a sys- 
 tem and a hierarchy above them and beyond their 
 reach, except by an absolute revolution. Such a 
 revolution has commenced ; and the motions of the 
 ocean tide are not more certain or irresistible ; for it 
 is rolling onward with the omnipotent energies of 
 Truth. 
 
 * The Annual Reports of Eastern Congregational churches showed 
 a diminution, in many places ; but it was probably not greater than 
 the Western emigration. But emigration will not account for the 
 Methodist decrease, because their reports include the entire country. 
 
 13* 
 
2S6 CONGREGATIONALISM, ETC. 
 
 Shall we, then, leave "the old paths/' to enter 
 those which must inevitably be retraced ? Shall we 
 hasten the dawning of " the day of the Lord," by 
 adopting principles which are inconsistent with its 
 clear and "perfect" light? 
 
 In these matters, every soul of us is intrusted 
 with individual responsibilities to God and to man. 
 These are not questions of expediency, or of party, 
 or of sect. Principles are involved which lie at the 
 very foundation of our rights as men, and of our 
 duty as Christians. 
 
XIV. 
 
 *^' Blessed are the peacemakers." — Matt. 5 : 9. 
 
 "Peace'' Principles— Methodist Warfare— Their Wcapins— '' A Dialogue '^^ 
 C nfession of Faith— Cu.1 via — Wesley — Who are Peacemakers ? — How to mak» 
 
 Peace. 
 
 And yet, says our Saviour, " I came not to send 
 peace on the earth, but a sword," These two passa- 
 ges, however, are perfectly consistent with each oth- 
 er. In the latter passage, it is simply declared what 
 would be the result of the Saviours coming and of 
 his doctrines, — that the perversity of man would be 
 aroused against his cause, and against tliose w4io es- 
 poused it. None, therefore, will forfeit the blessed- 
 fiess of the peacemaker, who are only the occasion 
 of unjust opposition. None should be deterred from 
 exhibiting and maintaining the truth, even though 
 it excite the prejudice of " unreasonable men." How- 
 ever fiercely the storm may rage, the defenders of 
 the truth are 7iot to be denounced as disturbers of 
 the peace. 
 
 What is peace 1 There is quiet in the Catholic 
 Church ; but that is not peace ; it is deaths spiritual 
 death. The first action of medicine upon a person 
 who is laboring under the effects of disease, may be 
 to excite great commotion \xv the system. So, in the 
 case of moral diseases ; the application of moral 
 
288 CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 remedies may, at first, produce great excitement. 
 But the physician is no more to be denounced in the 
 one case than in the other ; while in the case of mo- 
 ral remedies, if there is excitement and disturbance, 
 it is all owing to the perversity of the patient. The 
 only questions, in such cases, are, — has the truth 
 been exhibited ; and has it been exhibited appropri- 
 ately/, in respect to time, and manner, and circum- 
 stances ? In respect to the time, when should the 
 great principles, which have been our theme, be dis- 
 cussed, if not now ? If they are to be discussed at 
 all, they have been alreadj^ too long neglected. We 
 may safely assert that nothing is to be gained by 
 delay. When important principles of God's word 
 are at stake, we are not permitted to be silent. 
 
 In the course of this work, allusion has been 
 made to the notorious fact, that our doctrinal princi- 
 ples are frequently and egregiously misrepresented. 
 This is the only remaining topic which it is pro- 
 posed at present to notice. And pre-eminently will he 
 be a peacemaker, who shall aid in plucking up these 
 roots of bitterness. I allude to the manner in which 
 our views of the doctrines of Election, — of the Di- 
 vine Purposes, — of the Atonement, — of the Free 
 Agency of Man, &c., are represented by Metho- 
 dists, and in Methodist publications. They represent 
 us, — or rather misrepresent us, — as " believing in 
 the damnation of innocent infants ;" that " God is 
 the author of sin," and " the destroyer of the great- 
 er part of mankind without mercy ;" that " God 
 compels men to sin," and then " punishes them for 
 acts which they are compelled to perform :" " that 
 
AND METHODISM. 289 
 
 wicked men, liars, murderers," and even the devil 
 himself, act like machines, merely as God acts upon 
 them, <fcc. All knoio that this is the way in which 
 our doctrines are misreineseiited^ from the pulpit and 
 the press, and in private intercourse, and that this is 
 done in every variety of mode and occasion. The au- 
 thors of this injustice know that we reject all such 
 views of these subjects ; and yet these misrepresenta- 
 tions are among the common burdens of the pulpit, 
 and they are scattered broad-cast by steam over the 
 length and breadth of the land. It is one of the main 
 objects of the Methodist Tract Societyj and of its 
 agents, and supporters, to do this very thing. And 
 how is it done ? Not by a fair and connected exhi- 
 bition of our opinions, as we hold them ; but by 
 means of scraps, and detached sentences, and man- 
 gled expressions, and by leaving out parts of sen- 
 tences ; and thus making us assert the veiy things 
 which we are at the time denying. We are remind- 
 ed, often, of the man who asserted that the Bible 
 taught that it was a duty to commit suicide. He 
 proved his assertion thus. We read of one who 
 ^^ put his household iii order and hanged himself f* 
 and we read in another place, " Go and do thou like- 
 wiseP This is precisely the course which is pursued 
 by many, who wish to excite popular odium against 
 certain doctrines, and against those who hold them. 
 Here is a tract " published for the Tract Society 
 of the Methodist Episcopal Church, at the Confer- 
 ence Office, 200 Mulberry-street ;" and entitled, " A 
 Dialogue between a Predestinarian and his Friend." 
 It is the object of the writer, to exhibit the doctrine 
 
290 CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 of " predestination," as a system oi mere fatality ;—- 
 that it was God's purpose to produce sin, by compel- 
 ling men, through his ahiiighty power, to commit it, 
 and then to punish them for it, without any possibili- 
 ty of escape. To accompHsh his object, the author 
 introduces the "Assembly's Catechism," the writings 
 of Calvin, Twiss, and others. 
 
 I have not access, at present, to the works of all 
 the ar.thors referred to, but I know that this tract 
 makes a most unfair exhibition of their views. 
 There is an entire overlooking of all iheir qualifying 
 and explanatory remarks, and of their definitions of 
 terms and phrases. There is an entire overlooking 
 of their philosophy, which had been the philosophy 
 of the church for a thousand years, and of the civil- 
 ized world for a much longer period. In short, there 
 is the most utter injustice towards these men, 
 
 I will introduce, by way of illustration, a portion 
 of the tract ; together with the pretended correspond- 
 ing quotations from the '• Confession of Faith," and 
 from Calvin, as far as our limits will permit. The 
 tract commences thus. 
 
 " Friend. Sir, I have heard that you make God 
 the author of all sin, and the destroyer of the greater 
 part of mankind without mercy." 
 
 " Predestinarian. I deny it ; I only say ' God 
 did from all eternity unchangeably ordain whatso- 
 ever comes to pass.' (Assemblv's Catechism,* chap. 
 3.)" 
 
 " I ONLY 5ay," writes our author ; but what is 
 
 * A mistake of the author of the tract. He should have said 
 Confession of Faith. 
 
AND METHODISM. 291 
 
 the fact 7 What is the language actually used^ 
 from which the author quotes, and which he asserts 
 to be all that is said? "God from all eternity did 
 by the most wise and holy counsel of his own will, 
 freely and unchangeably ordain whatsoever comes 
 to pass; YET SO AS thereby neither is God 
 
 LIBERTY OR CONTINGENCY OF SECOND CAUSES TA- 
 KEN AWAY, BUT RATHER ESTABLISHED." 
 
 (Confession of Faith, chap. HI. Sec. I.) 
 
 This is the first sentence of the tract. The au- 
 thor gives us a j^cirt of a paragraph, and asserts that 
 he has given us the icliole ; while he omits the ex- 
 planatory clause, which is the key to the whole ; and 
 in this w^ay makes the book to assert the very thing 
 which it explicitly denies. And as if this were not 
 enough, he writes, " I only say !" 
 
 The tract then proceeds : 
 
 " F. Do you make no exception ?" 
 
 "P. No, surely ; for ' nothing is more absurd than 
 to think any thing at all is done but by the ordina- 
 tion of God.' (Calvin's Institutes, Book 1. chap. 16, 
 sect. 8.)" 
 
 The subject of the chapter here referred to, is, 
 " God's j)reservation artd support of the world by 
 HIS POWDER, and his goveimment of every part of it 
 BY HIS PROVIDENCE." In scctiou 8, the one referred 
 to, Calvin treats of the "doctrine" of '■' providence^^^ 
 and thus writes. 
 
 " Those who wish to bring odium on this doc- 
 trine, calumniate it as the same with the opinion of 
 
292 CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 the Stoics concerning fate, with which Augustine 
 also Avas formerly reproached. * * * But that dogma 
 is falsely and maliciously charged upon us. For we 
 do not, with the Stoics, imagine a necessity arising 
 from a perpetual concatenation and intricate series of 
 causes, contained in nature ; but we make God the 
 Arbiter and Governor of all things, who, in his wis- 
 dom, has, from the remotest eternity, decreed what 
 he would do, and now, by his power, executes what 
 he has decreed." He then reproves the use of the 
 heathen words ^^ fortune and chance ;'' and quotes 
 from Augustine, who says, " I repent of having men- 
 tioned fortune in this manner, (in my treatises 
 against the Academics,") " since I see that men are 
 habituated to a very sinful custom : when they ought 
 to say, ' This was the will of God,' they say, ' This 
 was the will of Fortune.' " " Finally," (Calvin pro- 
 ceeds) " he (Augustine) every where maintains, that 
 if any thing be left to fortune, the world revolves at 
 random. And though he elsewhere decides, that all 
 things are conducted, partly by the free will 
 
 OF MAN, and PARTLY BY THE PROVIDENCE OF GoD, 
 
 yet he just after shows that men are subject to it and 
 governed by it ; assuming as a principle that nothing 
 could be more absurd^ than for any thing to hajjpen 
 independently of the ordinatioji of God ; because 
 IT WOULD HAPPEN AT RANDOM. By tliis reasoning, 
 he excludes also any contingence dependent on the 
 human will. * * * But in what sense per??iission 
 ought to be understood, whenever it is mentioned by 
 him, will appear from one passage ; where he proves 
 that the will of God is the supreme and first cause 
 
AND METHODISM. 293 
 
 of all things, because nothing happens but by his 
 command or permission. He certainly does not sup- 
 pose God to remain an idle spectator," &c. 
 
 It thus appears that it is Calvin's specific object 
 in this passage, to deny and refute this very doctrine 
 oi fate with which he is "falsely and maliciously" 
 " reproached " in the tract before us. It is of no 
 avail for the objector to say that Calvin supposed the 
 same "necessity" to exist in the '^ powef^ of Gody 
 that the fatalists attributed to " nature ;" for Calvin 
 heads the chapter with the distinctioji between that 
 ^^powef^ which created, and still ^^ supports^^ the 
 world ; and the " providence^^ by which all things 
 are governed. And not only so, he recognizes, in 
 this very passage, the " free will of man," (not, 
 indeed, in the Arminian sense,) which distinguishes 
 accountable agents from Tnachines. 
 
 Whatever truth or error Calvin may teach else- 
 where, does not concern our present purpose, which 
 is, to inquire into the fairness which is exhibited by 
 the author and publishers of this tract. 
 
 Question third. 
 
 " P. Do you extend this to the actions of men ?" 
 
 "P. Without doubt. Every action and motion 
 of every creature is governed by the hidden counsel 
 of God, that nothing can come to pass but what was 
 ordained by him. (Calvin's Institutes, Book I, chap. 
 16, sect. 3.)" 
 
 The subject which is here treated, has been al- 
 ready given, above. In the section here referred to, 
 we read, "He (God) is accounted omnipotent, not be- 
 cause he is able to act, yet sits down in idleness, or 
 
294 CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 continues by a general instinct the order of nature 
 originally appointed by him ; but because he governs 
 heaven and earth hy his 'providence^ and regulates 
 all things in such a manner that nothiiig happens 
 but according to his counsel. For when it is said in 
 the Psalms, that he does whatsoever he pleases,* it 
 denotes his certain and deliberate will. * * The 
 faithful should * * encourage themselves in adver- 
 sity with this consolation, that they suffer no afflic- 
 tion, bat by the ordination and command of God, 
 because they are under his hand. * * * And they 
 not only defraud God of his glory, but themselves of 
 a very useful doctrine, who confine the Divine provi- 
 dence whhin such narrow bounds," ("the influence 
 and course of nature,") "as though he permitted all 
 things to proceed in an uncontrolled course, accord- 
 ing to a perpetual law of nature ; for nothing would 
 exceed the misery of man, if he were exposed to all 
 the motions of the heaven, air, earth, and waters. 
 Besides, this notion would shamefully diminish the 
 singular goodness of God towards every individual. 
 * * * They may securely repose in his protectioi}, to 
 whose will are subject all those evils which can be 
 feared from any quarter; by whose power Satan is 
 restrained, with all his furies, and all his machina- 
 tions ; on whose will depends all that is inimical to 
 our safety ; nor is there any thing else by which 
 those immoderate and superstitious fears, which we 
 frequently feel on the sight of dangers, can be cor- 
 rected or appeased. We are superstitiously timid, I 
 say, if, whenever creatures menace or tenify us, we 
 
 * Psalms 115: 3. 
 
AND METHODISM. 295 
 
 are frightened, as though they had of themselves the 
 power to hurt us, or could fortuitously injure us ; or 
 as if against their injuries God were unable to aflbrd 
 us sufficient aid. * * When infidels transfer the gov- 
 ernment of the world from God to the stars, pretend- 
 ing that their happiness or misery depends on the 
 decrees and presages of the stars, and not on the 
 will of God, the consequence is, that their fear is 
 withdrawn from him whom they ought to regard, 
 and is placed on stars and comets. Whoever, then, 
 desires to avoid this infidelity, let him constantly re- 
 member, that in the creatures there is no erratic pow- 
 er, or action, or motion ; but that they are so gov- 
 erned by the secret counsel of God, that nothing can 
 happen but what is subject to his knowledge, and 
 decreed by his will." 
 
 These are rather long quotations from Calvin ; 
 but we feel a strong desire to introduce the venerable 
 gentleman to our Methodist brethren in his own 
 proper person, and to permit him to say a few words, 
 in his own proper language ; and we can imagine 
 that we hear the half-suppressed exclamation : 
 " Whi/, he is a man, after all!''' If we could 
 bring him upon '-'the stand,"' at a "camp-meeting," 
 without mentioning his name, and could persuade 
 him to make a slight alteration in his phraseology — 
 just to leave out those words "decrees" "and de- 
 creed" — the above paragraph would be greeted with 
 an " Amen !"' like " the sound of many waters." But 
 suppose he should proceed thus, as he actually does 
 write in another place: " Adam, therefore, could have 
 stood if he would, since he fell merely by his own 
 
296 CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 will ; * * * his choice of good and evil was free." 
 " He was the voluntary procurer of his own destruc- 
 tion."* Calvin might be mistaken for Wesley him- 
 self! But we will proceed with the tract. 
 
 " F. What then becomes of the wills of men ?" 
 
 " P. The wills of men are so governed by the 
 irresistible will of God, that they are carried on 
 straight to the mark which he has foreordained. 
 (Calvin's Institutes, Book I. chap. 15, sect. 8.)" 
 
 Now, there happens to be nothing like this in the 
 section to which we are referred. You will notice 
 that it is the very section from which the last ex- 
 tracts ivere taken. Whether there is a mistake in 
 the tract, or whether the answer is manufactured 
 out of " whole cloth," all will admit, after what we 
 have seen, that it is of very little consequence to 
 decide. 
 
 The tract proceeds to teach us, next, "that all 
 men must do just what they do;" and then comes 
 the following question. 
 
 " F. But does not this imply the necessity of all 
 events ?" 
 
 ^' P. I will not scruple to own that the will of 
 God lays a necessity on all things, and that every 
 thing he wills necessarily comes to pass. (Calvin's 
 Institutes, Book III. chap. 23, sect. 8.)" 
 
 The chapter here referred to is entitled thus: 
 " Election conjinned by the Divine call. The 
 destined destrnction of the reprobate procured by 
 
 THEMSELVES." 
 
 On the point in question Calvin thus argues : 
 
 * Institutes, Book I. chap. 15, sect. 8. 
 
AND METHODISM. 29T 
 
 "Here they (objectors) recur to the distinction 
 between will and permission, and insist that God per- 
 mits the destruction of the impious, but does not will 
 it." (We are to notice that it is the destruction of the 
 impious whose destruction is " willed." Does any 
 Methodist deny that ?)***"! shall not hesitate * * to 
 confess plainly with Augustine, ' that the will of God 
 is the necessity of all things, and that what he has 
 willed, will necessarily come to pass ; as those 
 
 THINGS ARE REALLY ABOUT TO HAPPEN wMck he 
 
 has foreseen T Now, if either Pelagians, or Mani- 
 cheans, or Anabaptists, or Epicureans," — and it 
 might now be added, or Methodists, — ("for we are 
 concerned with these sects on this argument,) in ex- 
 cuse for themselves and the impious^ plead the ne- 
 cessity xoith which they are hound hy God^s predes- 
 tination^ — they allege nothi?ig applicable to the 
 case. For if predestination is no other than a dis- 
 pensatioji of Divine justice, — mysterious indeed, 
 but liable to no blame, — since it is certain they were 
 not unworthy of being predestinated to that fate, it 
 is equally certain that the destruction they incur by 
 predestination is consistent with the strictest justice. 
 Besides^ their perdition depends on the Divine pre- 
 destination IN SUCH A MANNER, that the CAUSE and 
 MATTER of it are found in themselves. * * * Man 
 falls, therefore, according to the appointment of Di- 
 vine Providence ; hut he falls hy his own fault * * * 
 By his oion wickedness he corrupted the nature he 
 had received pure from the Lord. * * * Wherefore, 
 let us rather contemplate the evident cause of con- 
 demnation, which is nearer to us in the corrupt na- 
 
298 CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 ture of 7nankind, than search after a hidden and 
 altogether incomprehensible one in the predestina- 
 tion of God." 
 
 It appears, then, that the necessity here spoken 
 of, is merely the certainty of events which are 
 REALLY about to take flace. Calvin expressly de- 
 nies^ and argues against any " necessity'' which 
 impUes an " excuse" for " the impious ;" and the 
 *' predestination" of which he speaks " is no other 
 than a dispensation of Divine justice ^ The quo- 
 tations in the tract are total perversions of the 
 opinions of Calvin ; and so different are they all 
 from his language, — not to ^^.y false in their very 
 form, — that ordinary readers would not recognize 
 them, as they are here accurately given from their 
 author. AYe venture to say that many will be puz- 
 zled to make the discovery ; and yet they purport 
 to be veritable quotations.* 
 
 The next question is the following : 
 " F. Does sin then follow necessarily ?" 
 "P. Undoubtedly. For the almighty power of 
 God extends itself to the first fall, and all other sins 
 of angels and men. (Confession of Faith, ch. 5.)" 
 
 This answer is taken from the chapter on " Pro- 
 vidence.^^ The paragraph which the answer purports 
 to give, reads thus : 
 
 * These misrepresentations of Calvin have been thus particularly 
 noticed "not" because we " icish to he regarded as adopting all his 
 sentiments and expressions ;"* but simply to illustrate the nature of 
 the warfare which is waged upon us, and to exhibit specimens of the 
 weapons with which we are assailed. 
 
 Other quotations from Calvin, in this tract, were noted for exam- 
 ination, but these must suffice. 
 
 * Preface to the Edition of the Pres. Board of Publication. 
 
AND METHODISM. 299 
 
 ^' TV. The Almighty power, unsearchable wis- 
 dom, and infinite goodness of God, so far manifest 
 themselves in his providence^ that it extendeth itself 
 even to the first fall, and all other sins of angels and 
 men, and that not by a bare permission, bnt such as 
 hath joined with it a most wise and powerful bound- 
 ing* and otherwise ordering and governing of them, 
 in a manifold dispensation, to his own holy ends ;t 
 YET so, as the sinfulness thereof froceedeth only 
 
 FROM THE CREATURE, and NOT FROM GoD ; who 
 
 being most holy and righteous^ neither is, nor 
 CAN be the author or approver of sinP 
 
 Now, what shall be said of a quotation, so false 
 and garbled as that now under consideration from 
 this tract ? It is false in every point of view. It 
 represents the authors of this Confession of Faith as 
 saying, that it is " the almighty poicer of God," ope- 
 rating upon " the will of man," as steam works an 
 
 * " Ps. 76 : 10, Surely the wrath of man shall praise thee ; and 
 the remainder of wraih shalt ihou restrain. 2 Kings 19 : 28, Because 
 thy rage ngainst me and thy tumult is come up into my ears, therefore 
 I will put my hook in thy nose, and my bridle in thy lips, and I will 
 tuin thee back by the way which thou camest." 
 
 t Gen. 50 : 20, But as for you, ye thought evil against me ; but 
 God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save 
 much people alive. Isa. 10: 6, 7, 12, I will send him against an 
 hypocritical nation, and against the people of ray wrath will I give 
 him a charge, to take the spoil, and to take the prey, and to tread 
 them down like the mire of the streets. — Howbeit, he meanelh not so, 
 neither doth his heart think so ; but it is in his heart to destroy and 
 cut off nations not a few. — Wherefore it shall come to pass, that when 
 the Lord hath performed his whole work upon Mount Zion, and on 
 Jerusalem, I will punish the fruit of the stout heart of the king of As- 
 syria, and the glory of his high looks." 
 
300 CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 engine. But they are speaking expressly of those 
 manifestations of the power of God which are exhib- 
 ited " in his providence ;" and they add, that they 
 are " so" to be understood as that " the sinfulness" 
 of the act proceedeth only from the creature," and 
 this is illustrated and enforced by quotations from 
 Scripture. And besides all this, they had already 
 asserted that " no violence is ofiered to the icill of 
 the creature^^ by any exercise of that '' Almighty 
 power." 
 
 It is worthy of special notice how the authors of 
 that "Confession" aimed to guard their language 
 against all perversion. The first chapter relates 
 simply to the Scriptures, upon which all evangelical 
 Christians are perfectly agreed. The second relates 
 to the doctrine of the Trinity, upon which they are 
 equally agreed. In the very first paragraph of doc- 
 trinal statement, on the points in question, they teach 
 explicitly that they hold to the free agency of man ^ 
 and that God governs him as a free agent. They 
 thus explicitly deny iii the outset, all these chargrs of 
 fatality, &c., which are made against them. Now, 
 even if it could be shown that they use language that 
 is self-contradictory, or that their doctrines lead to 
 error, yet all can see, none can avoid seeing, that it 
 is false and unjust to charge them with holding the 
 monstrosities with which they are charged in that 
 tract. This " Confession of Faith" is barred against 
 such perversion, at the very threshold. The au- 
 thor of the tract knew all this, for the recorded de- 
 nial was before his eyes ; and the Tract Society, and 
 the "Book Concern" of the Methodist Episcopal 
 
AND METHODISM. 
 
 301 
 
 Church echo the slander from one end of the land to 
 the other, poisoning the minds of the young and the ig- 
 norant and the prejudiced, and closing them against 
 the approach of those who are represented as adopting 
 these principles. A parallel to this is not furnished 
 even by the Tammany Hall infidels, in their dis- 
 cussion with Dr. Sleigh, about ten years since. 
 
 The object of those infidels was, to prove that 
 the Bible represented God as justifying, and even 
 causing lying, murder, adultery, (fee, — (just the 
 charge which this Tract labors to fasten upon " the 
 doctrine of predestination.") 
 
 In order to prove this, they quoted, among other 
 passages, from 1 Kings, chap. 13. A prophet is 
 there represented as coming to Bethel, and pronounc- 
 ing the displeasure of the Lord against Jeroboam, 
 and then returning another way, as God bad direct- 
 ed him. Another " prophet" is then represented as 
 pursuing after him, and endeavoring to bring him 
 back to eat bread with him. " He said unto him, 
 ' I am a prophet also as thou art ; and an angel 
 spake unto me by the word of the Lord, saying, 
 Bring him back with thee into thy house, that he 
 may eat bread and drink water," (v. 18.) The 
 champion of infidelity quoted thus far, and stopped ; 
 his object being to exhibit a man who pretended to 
 be commissioned by Jehovah, as uttering a lie by his 
 cominand. The infidel quoted J^^s*^ so far as would 
 ansioer his purpose ; the sacred history, however, 
 has the following important additional clause : '' But 
 he lied unto him.'^ The infidel appears to have 
 quoted corTectly^ as far as he quoted at all ; but this 
 
 14 
 
302 CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 Tract does not quote correctly, even what it pretends 
 to give us ; for it leaves out important passages, 
 which totally alter the sense ; and then it tells us 
 that this " only " is asserted, when the fact is, that 
 those whose language is professedly given, explicit- 
 ly deny in the same paragraph, the sentiment 
 which is charged upon them. Such facts admit of 
 no palliation, and require no comment. No cause 
 can be permanently aided by the use of such weapons. 
 They must recoil with crushing weight upon those 
 who employ them. At least, they are fitted only for 
 deeds of darkness ; in the light of truth they are 
 harmless. 
 
 It is not necessary to examine that Tract farther. 
 If a witness in a court of justice should be convicted 
 in the outset of his testimony, of thus " perverting 
 the right," what would be the value of his testimony ? 
 And what would be the eifect upon himself? The 
 penal code has a name and a penalty for such a 
 crime. And that Tract, in the space of jive pages 
 quotes seven different authors, and eleven different 
 worksj in thirty-Jive different places. It is impos- 
 sible for any man to make a fair exhibition of 
 truth, on such subjects, when treating them in such 
 
 * It should not be supposed that this Tract is out of date, because 
 it is early in the Series. I have just now (1846) been told by a 
 friend, residing in a neighboring town, that it has received a very 
 special and extensive circulation there, within a year or two. 
 
 The effect of the principles under the influence of which such 
 Tracts are prepared and disseminated, upon the minds of Methodists 
 themselves, is strikingly illustrated by the following fact. 
 
 After a public exposure of the character of the above Tract, aliu- 
 
AND METHODISM. 3Q3 
 
 Another specimen of Methodist warfare is exhib- 
 ited in a pamphlet entitled '• tlie Trial of Cain^'' in 
 which a " Predestinarian" is associated with a " Uni- 
 versahan" as " counsel for the prisoner" (Cain). 
 The author of this pamphlet is said to be a local 
 preacher ; and his design^ and the means by ichich 
 he attempts to accomplish it, are equally evident 
 from the title, and the plan. The author takes the 
 subject of the above Tract, and makes an effort to 
 give it popularity by clothing it in fiction, in the garb 
 of doggrel verse. 
 
 These two examples have not been selected, 
 because there is any thing peculiar in them. They 
 were the first that came to hand, and " from one" we 
 may " learn" the character of " all." Neither have 
 I been influenced in my examination of the above 
 Tract, by the fact that the Presbyterian Co7ifession 
 of Faith Vv^as the subject of misrepresentation, or 
 because I think it always expressed in the best pos- 
 sible terms, or that its authors were infallible, or even 
 correct in all their theories. Those pamphlets have 
 been specified simply because they furnish a fair ex- 
 am^ple of the manner in which our views are com- 
 monly misrepresented. And these misrepresenta- 
 tions are made, while all know perfectly, who know 
 any thing about the matter, that Congregationalists, 
 almost unanimously, and Presbyterians almost as 
 harmoniousl}^, hold, and believe, and preach, and 
 
 sion was made to it by one of the auditors to another, who is a leading 
 Methodist. His cool and simple reply, rs if nothing farther had ever 
 entered his mind, and as if nothing farther could be necessary, was* 
 ^'ISlr. Wesley wrote that Tract.'' 
 
304 CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 write, tliat the death of Christ has opened a way of 
 salvation for all mankind,* and that God has 7io 
 2nirposej and performs no act^ which casts the 
 shadow of a barrier in the way of the salvation of 
 any inan. That God has purposes, and that He 
 acts according to them, we fully believe^ because the 
 Bible so teaches. (Eph. 1: 3--14.) The Bible 
 abounds in passages similar to the one here referred 
 to. These passages mean something ; lohat do they 
 mean ? Hear Mr. Wesley himself. 
 
 " Having found for some time a strong desire to 
 unite with Mr. Whitefield as far as possible, to cut 
 off" needless dispute, I wrote down my sentiments as 
 plain as I could in the following terms. There are 
 three points in debate. 1. Unconditional election ; 
 2. Irresistible grace ; 3. Final perseverance. With 
 regard to the first, unconditional election, I believe, 
 
 " That God, before the foundation of the world, 
 did imconditionally elect certain persons * * * to 
 many peculiar advantages, both with regard to tem- 
 poral and spiritual things : and / do not deny, 
 though I cannot prove it so, that he has nnconditio7i- 
 ally elected some persons to eternal glory. * * * 
 
 " With regard to the second, irresistible grace ; I 
 believe that the grace which brings faith, and thereby 
 salvation into the soul, is irresistible at that mo- 
 ment : * * * and I do not deny, that in some souls, 
 
 * " The Atonement of Christ was sufficient in its extent, for all 
 human sinners. * * When this discourse was first written, disputes 
 concerning the Extent of the Atonement had not openly appeared in 
 this country ; and I did not suppose it to be necessary to canvass the 
 question with any particularity." Dwight's Theology, Vol. 11. p. 217 
 
AND METHODISM. 395 
 
 the grace of God is so far irresistible, that they can- 
 not hut believe and he finally saved. * * * 
 
 " With regard to the third, final perseverance, I 
 am inchned to beheve, that there is a state attaina- 
 ble in this life, from tvhich a inan cannot finally 
 falV'' 
 
 Now, with what face are such misrepresentations 
 made, as those^ which we haA^e been exposing ? 
 Wesley himself not only admits the great truths in 
 question, but he goes beyond the truth: 
 
 This portion of our subject shall detain us no 
 longer. I hasten to an apphcation. 
 
 1. Those are not " peacemakers," who talk, and 
 preach, and write and print after the manner of these 
 Tracts. 
 
 Even if we coijtinue to endiu'e these things, as 
 we have endured them, ever since Methodism ap- 
 peared among us, still the authors of those acts are 
 disturbers of the peace. These things are direct 
 assaults upon us ; for there is nothing in them of the 
 nature of self-defence. They are direct assaults 
 upon all who are called Calvinisfs. It is no part of 
 the object of the writers and publishers of such 
 Tracts to assail, or oppose Calvin. They have 
 nothing to do with Calvin, or his memory, — no more 
 than with his ashes ; — the sole object is, to excite 
 odium against those whom they represent as holding 
 such doctrines. 
 
 * Whitehead's Life of Wesley, Vol 11. pp. 103, 104. 
 
 The italicising is mine. Special attention is requested to the pas- 
 sages thus marked. The words in small capitals were written by Mr. 
 Wesley in italics- 
 
 14* 
 
306 CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 2. Is it a disturba7ice of the jieace to defend our- 
 selves when Ave are assailed ? Having been silent, 
 under all these misrepresentations, until it is cast in 
 our teethj " that we dare not defend the peculiarities 
 of" our system, it seems to be supposed that we have 
 forfeited the right to speak in self-defence. Espe- 
 cially, are we to be denounced as " those who have 
 turned the world upside down,'' because, though tar- 
 dily, yet, at length, " earnestly," we are found con- 
 
 i tending "for the faith which was once delivered to 
 the saints?" 
 
 3. The defence of the truth is not to he construed 
 into personal hostility. " Am I your enemy because 
 I tell you the truth 7" And yet we are told, with a 
 mixture of querulousness and menace, " that we 
 shall destroy all good neighborhood feelingT* It 
 
 * An " example " from the author's experience, may illustrate the 
 nature of this good neighborhood feeling, and the terms on which it 
 is to be secured. 
 
 The school-house in a western village, was occupied for religious 
 services, alternately by the Methodist preacher and myself. A day or 
 two previous to the recurrence of our regular quarterly celebration of 
 the Lord's Supper, a new Methodist preacher arrived, to commence 
 his labors on that station. Being anxious to preach on the next Sab- 
 bath, and to occupy the school-house, he requested me to waive my 
 claims, for that purpose. To this I objected ; as from our circumstan- 
 ces, and in view of western habits, it would be nearly equivalent to 
 dispensing with our exercises altogether. The point was urged, how- 
 ever, with great pertinacity ; and, as an irresistible appeal, one of the 
 Methodists remarked, '• / think you had better yield, for the sake of 
 peace .'" 
 
 My deacon was a " peace man," and this was attacking him at 
 his vulnerable point ; he advised therefore that I should yield to the 
 unreasonable request. Perhaps he understood better than myself, at 
 that time, the import of the intimation 
 
AND METHODISM. 307 
 
 has come, then, to this : in order to secure, from cer- 
 tain quarters, " good neighborhood feeling," we must 
 render ourselves contemptible in the eyes of all ho- 
 norable men, and odious in the sight of God ; for we 
 must sacrifice our principles, or permit them to be 
 sacrificed by others, even though we regard them as 
 the truths of God's word ; and then we must wel- 
 come to our special confidence and affection, those 
 who can make such demands upon us. The most 
 important truths, and our own cherished, and most 
 hallowed associations may be assailed with utter 
 wantonness, and we are to be repaid with smiles and 
 gracious words, which we must reciprocate, without 
 one word of protestation, or there will be an end of 
 " all good neighborhood feeling." We say, distinct- 
 ly, that we attach no value to such friendship. We 
 desire not to be suspected of having any sympathy 
 with it. W^e desire peace, but not at the sacrifice of 
 principle. And if truth is defended at all, it should 
 be defended with a zeal and fidelity proportionate to 
 its importance. To defend it feebly, hesitatingly, — 
 to half do the work, — would be to " handle the word 
 of God deceitfully." It would, of necessity/, make a 
 false impression. If we speak at all on these sub- 
 jects, we must speak out plainly, decidedly, unequi- 
 vocally. The severity of truth is not denunciation. 
 But with whom are we under special obligations 
 to " make" and preserve " peace" ? With whom, if 
 not with those with whom we are united in a pro- 
 fession of a common faith ? Especially, when we 
 have solemnly covenanted to walk together in the 
 truth as well as the ordei^ of the Gospel, and to de- 
 
308 CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 fend and sustain each other in every good work, and 
 to promote each other's usefuhiess in our mutual la- 
 bors in the Lord. There is such a thing as trying 
 to be on both sides, or neither side — 7ion-committal 
 tnen — having no opinions, or assenting to all opin- 
 ions. Is this the way to '• make peace" ? Is this 
 the way to promote confidence among brethren? Is 
 this the way even to secure the respect of those who 
 would " seduce" us from 'Mhe old paths"? While 
 we continue to profess religious truths, on the side 
 of those truths viust we be found, unflinching, firm 
 as the everlasting hills. 
 
 The exposure of these assaults, and of the char- 
 acter of the weapons emplo^^ed, is regarded by many 
 as a violation of Christian charity ! and a disturb- 
 ance of Christian peace ! The very men who are 
 detected with these missiles, as it were, in their 
 pockets, or even in the very act of employing them 
 against their Christian brethren, even they attempt 
 to enlist the sympathies of the community in their 
 behalf, as the innocent victims of religious persecu- 
 tion, suffering for righteousness' sake ! And there 
 are those who are set for the defence of the truth, 
 (and what Christian is not so set?) who yet can 
 throw their protecting shield over these transactions ; 
 whose feelings of disapprobation are especially ex- 
 cited, not that these faults have been committed^ but 
 that they have been rebuked ; and who attempt to 
 excite public odium, not against these evils, but 
 against those who looidd correct them, like certain 
 modern reformers, ^^hose sublimated philanthropy is 
 especially excited in behalf of the " unfortunate" 
 criminal, rather than of his victims. 
 
AND METHODISM. 309 
 
 4. Truth is the 07ily true basis of 'peace. 
 
 Any other peace is false peace. It is but the su- 
 perficial heahng of a deep-seated ulcer. 1 do not 
 mean that there ca,n be no kindly feeling until all 
 entertain the same views of truth. But truth must 
 be our aim, and tlie only foundation upon which we 
 desire to rest. While we follow our convictions of 
 truth vv^ith inflexible firmness, we can, and must 
 grant to others the same rights which we claim for 
 ourselves. We should honor their obedience to their 
 convictions, even though we regard those convictions 
 as based in error. But it is still true, that the ten- 
 dency of error is to derange the machinery of society, 
 as well as of the moral government of the universe. 
 
 That is, then, a short-sighted, and mistaken poli- 
 cy, by which it is attempted to promote peace at the 
 sacrifice of important truth ; especially when we 
 look at those great principles, which, under God, 
 have made New England what she is. In this mat- 
 ter, the Gospel order must be observed: "first 
 pure, THEN peaceable.''^ He who inverts this order, 
 violates a law of nature ; he labors to " plant" that 
 which must be "plucked up." He, and he only, 
 whose labors are in accordance with Truth, is the 
 real promoter of peace. 
 
 5. If our Methodist brethren ivoiild show them- 
 selves the promoters of j)Gace, they inust lay aside 
 all such weapons as have now been exhibited from 
 their armory. Not only must they cease all such 
 gross outrages upon candor and truth and decency ; 
 they must cease, altogether, to charge upon us doc- 
 trines which they know, or ought to know, we never 
 
3 1 CONGREGATIONALISM 
 
 held. How can we have confidence in a man, even 
 though he comes to us with smiles, and honeyed 
 words, and with proffered hand inquires, " Art thou 
 in health, my brother 7^^ while his pockets are filled 
 with these poisoned missiles, with which he attempts 
 to weaken, if not to destroy our influence in the com- 
 munity ? While we would hope ever to " rejoice'^ 
 that " Christ is preached,''^ even of " contention" yet 
 it is not possible for us to experience feelings of un- 
 mingled pleasure in the extending influence of those, 
 much of whose labor we knoio to be expended in the 
 erection of barriers against our own usefulness. 
 Often do we meet with prejudices thus unjustly pro- 
 duced, which form a coat of mail that is perfectly 
 impenetrable, even to the sword of the Spirit, as 
 wielded by our hands. If some souls are saved, not 
 by the "foolishness," but the wickedness of such 
 " preaching," who can doubt, for one moment, that 
 others are lost, through the influence of prejudices 
 thus excited ; or that these prejudices, alone, turned 
 the scale of their destiny. It is not as sectarians, 
 then, that we urge a consideration of these subjects ; 
 or that we suggest the inquiry, how far the success 
 which is secured by such measures, or by influences 
 v/ith which such measures are intermingled, furnish 
 cause of congratulation? Why cannot our Meth- 
 odist brethren be content to run the race of useful- 
 ness, and leave the course free^ instead of strewing 
 it with rocks to impede even the chariot of salva- 
 tion, when driven by other hands. We do not ask 
 them to renounce their convictions; we do not require 
 them to adopt our views of truth ; much less do we 
 
AND METHODISM. 3 1 1 
 
 require them to pronounce '• iShibboleth'^ after our 
 fashion. Let them pursue their own measures, with 
 a sense of their accountability to our common Mas- 
 ter ; but let them cease this Ishmaelitish warfare, a?id 
 from our hiinost soul ice will bid them "God- 
 speed ;" ive will 2^roffer them the " Right hand of 
 Fellowship ;^^ loe loill " forgive and forget." 
 
 Notwithstanding the earnestness with which we 
 would contend for '• the old paths," we would wield 
 no weapons to which we would not bare our own 
 bosoms. But this contest is not congenial with our 
 feelings. We long for the day when "Ephraim 
 shall not envy Judah, and Judah shall not vex 
 Ephraim ;" when the " Sacramental host" shall, 
 with undivided ranks, gather around their common 
 standard — the Cross of Christ. 
 
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 and Refuted, by James H. Thorn- 
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 EDWARDS' WORKS, 
 
 Neav Edjtion, in 4 Vols., 8vo. 
 
 The Complete Works of President Edwards, a reprint of tlie Worcester edition, 
 with valuable additions, and a copious general Index never before published. 
 
 " The value of this edition is greatly increased by a Table of Contents 
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 " The writings of President Edwards need no recommendations from 
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 17 
 
LEAVITT, TROW &■ CO.'s CATALOGUE, 194 BROADWAY, NEW-YORK. 
 
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 GARDINER SPRING 
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 The Rev. Edward Robinson", D. D., in No. 2 of his Bibliotheca Sacra, 
 ie pleased to write and insert the following notice : 
 
 extract. 
 
 " The publication before us is a careful reprint of the Worcester edi. 
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 the distinguishing feature of this edition, and one which gives it a value 
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 " It is right to congratulate the religious public, that they now have 
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LEAVITT, TROW & CO.'s CATALOGUE, 194 BROADWAY, NEW-YORK. 
 
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 Do. Church Vindicated. 
 
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 Mason's Spiritual Treasury, 1 vol., 
 
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 Malan's Inquiry, "Can I join the 
 
 Church of Rome while my rule of 
 
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 Milton's (John) Christian Doctrine, 
 
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 Jesse Mercer. 
 Dr. Nisbet, by Dr. Miller. 
 Rev. E. D. Griffin, D.D, 8vo. 
 by Rev. Wm. B. Sprague, 
 D.D. 
 
 Dr. Grant, of the Persian 
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 Rev. Wm. Nevins, D.D. 
 
 Do. 
 Do 
 Do. 
 
 Do. 
 Do. 
 Do. 
 
 Do. 
 
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 day. 
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 Do. on the Prophecies. 
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 Do. Devout Churchman's Com- 
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LEAVITT, TROW & CO.'s CATALOGUK, 194 BROADWAY, NEAV-YORK 
 
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 Palmer on the Church, 2 vols. 8vo. 
 
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 Pearson on the Creed, 8vo. 
 Punchard's History of Congregation- 
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 Do View of do. 
 
 Parker on Universalism. 
 Paley's Works, 1 vol. 8vo. 
 
 Do. JNatural Theology. 
 
 Do. Evidences of Christianity. 
 Philosophy of the Plan of Salvation. 
 Perkins' Eight Years among the Nes- 
 
 torians, 8vo. 
 Pike's Religion and Eternal Life. 
 
 Do. Persuasives to Early Piety. 
 
 Do. Guide to Young Disciples. 
 Philips' (Rev. Robert) Ladies' Clos- 
 et Library, 8vo , viz. : The 
 Hannahs, The Marys, The 
 JMarthas, The Lydia;*, Love 
 of the Spirit. 
 
 Do. Devotional and Experimental 
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 Do. Young Man's Closet Library. 
 Paget's Tales of the Village, 3 vols. 
 Plutarch's Treatise on the Punish- 
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 PoUok's Tales of the Covenanters. 
 Perpetuity of the Sabbath, by Phelps. 
 Prelacy and Parity, by Rev. Wm. 
 
 Wisner. 
 Pavson's Sermons, 12mo. 
 
 Do Thoughts, 32mo. 
 Pulpit Cyclopedia, just publisnecf, 1 
 
 vol. 8vo, containing 360 Sketches 
 
 of Sermons, and 82 Essays. 
 Porter's Lectures on Eloquence and 
 
 Style. 
 
 Pastor's Offering, 18mo. 
 Principalities and Powers, Charlotte 
 
 Elizabeth. 
 Personal Recollections, do. 
 Precept upon Precept, 18mo. 
 Puseyism Examined, by D'Aubigne. 
 Peep of Day, 18mo. 
 Robinson's Biblical Researches in 
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 Do. Bibliotheca Sacra. 
 Rolling Ridge, 18mo. 
 
 Do. do. Sequel, ISmo 
 Ramsay's Missionary Journal. 
 Russell's Letters, 2 vols. 12mo, 
 Romaine on Faith, l2mo. 
 Revelation Examined, by Delaney. 
 Recognition of Friends in another 
 
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 Sketches of 400 Sermons, furnished 
 
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 Smith's Lectures on the Nature and 
 
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 Smyth's (Rev. Thomas) Apostolical 
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 Do. do. Catechism. 
 
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 Symington on the Dominion of 
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 Summerfield's Sermons, 8vo. 
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 Staunton's Church Dictionary, 12mo. 
 Scott's (Rev. Thomas) Practical Ob- 
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 Sears' Bible Biography, 8vo. illus- 
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 Do. History of the Bible, do. 
 
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 21 
 
LEAVITT, fROW & CO.'s CATALOGUE, 194 BROADWAY, NEW-YORK. 
 
 Spiritual Despotism, by the Author 
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 Spincke's Manual of Private Devo- 
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 Spirit of Prayer, by H. More. 
 
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 Thornton's Family Prayers, 12mo. 
 
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 Treatise on Self-Knowledge, fcy 
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 Taylor (C.) on Apostolical Baptism. 
 
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 The Fruits of the Spirit, by Thorn- 
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 The Force of Truth, by Thomas 
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 22 
 
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 Folsom on the Prophecies of Daniel. 
 
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